How to launch Handbrake via python?

[houstonkv]

Hi
I'd like to start by saying that I am very very new to python, and even newer to handbrake.
currently I have a folder of folders of video files that I would like to convert to iphone4 videos, so far my script goes through the folder makes a list of the folders then goes through the folder find the ones with a .avi and (with your help) will launch handbrake and encode the desired video.

import os
 
path2="C:\\"
os.chdir(path2)
List=list()
path="C:\Users\HoustonWKV\Downloads\Complee!!\TV"
dirList=os.listdir(path)
for fname in dirList:   
    List.append(fname)
 
for folder_name in List:
    path=os.path.abspath('Users\\HoustonWKV\\Downloads\\Complee!!\\TV\\'+folder_name)
    print path
 
    dirlist=os.listdir(path)
    for file_name in dirlist:
 
        file = file_name
        file= os.path.splitext( file )
 
        if file[1]== '.avi':
        path3='C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Handbrake'
        os.chdir(path3)
#copy error
#this is the desired cli 
#"./HandBrakeCLI -i"+ path +"-o C:\  -e x264 -q 20.0 -a 1 -E faac -B 128 -6 dpl2 -R Auto -D 0.0 -f mp4 -X 480 -m -x cabac=0:ref=2:me=umh:bframes=0:weightp=0:subme=6:8x8dct=0:trellis=0"
 
 

any help would be great!
Thank you