I had ripped and encoded 300+ movies using Handbrake but did not know that PP needed the "Web Optimized" check box checked in order to stream the video. Faced with the need to reencode all of these DVDs I found Drax.exe. (Thanks to whomever posted that as a possibility.)

A quick test quickly demonstrated that within a minute/file PP would stream my movies after being optimized by Drax.

My next problem was how to automate the process. Type or copy/paste all those file names was going to be a PITA. Topday, I am almost done optimizing my entire library (381 movies) in about 7 hours.

First, I made a list of all of my movie file names without extension. I did this using FileGrab, a PC Magazine utility ($10) that I've had for a few years. I exported this into a txt file. Then using the replace funtion in Notepad, I stripped off the path and file type leaving just the file names. I saved the file in my Drax Program Files folder.

After several hours of searching I was able to find a batch file script (new to me) that I modified to do the job. Here it is:

@Echo Off
for /f "tokens=* delims= " %%a in (movies.txt) do (
drax.exe /file:"D:\Media\iTunes Media\Movies\%%a.mp4" /optimize:"D:\Media\iTunes Media\Movies\%%a.m4v"
)
)

Of course adjust the file suffix to reflect your owqn situation. If your files are already in a m4v container add something to differential the output or direct it to another folder. Put this batch file into Program Files\Drax (I called mine Opt.bat) and open a command console. CD to the Program Files\Drax folder and execute.

This working well for me. Only 6-8 movies left to optimize. Handbrake is now set up to immediately optimize new movies going forward so this is a one-time shot for me. Hope this saves you some time when it's your turn.