HandBrake

Turns any video into an H.264/H.265/AV1 file using presets that already know what devices want.

What it does

HandBrake is a GUI over the encoding libraries — x264, x265, SVT-AV1, VideoToolbox — with a preset system that covers the boring decisions: resolution, bitrate or quality target, audio passthrough or re-encode, subtitle burn-in, deinterlacing and cropping.

Typical use is shrinking recordings for archive or making a file play on a device that refuses the original codec. Batch processing via the queue means a folder of files can be handed over and left.

Notes

The cask token is handbrake-app; handbrake is the CLI (HandBrakeCLI).
On Apple Silicon the VideoToolbox encoders are dramatically faster than x265 at similar file sizes for most content.
HandBrake will not open encrypted commercial discs without libdvdcss, which it deliberately does not bundle.

Alternative to

Alternative	Type	Trade-off
Shutter Encoder	Free	Wider format coverage, an uglier interface
Permute	Paid	Drag-and-drop simple, no encoder settings to get wrong
Compressor	Paid	Apple’s, integrates with Final Cut Pro
ffmpeg	Open source	The same encoders, scriptable, no presets to hide behind