How to convert from 4:3 to 16:9?

[Nid]

I have a couple of mpg files and one avi file that are in 4:3 format. I want to convert them to 16:9 format...and make a VCD out of them. I only have TMPGEnc and VirtualDub. a) Can you do this? b) if so...can I do it with TMPGEnc? c) and if so again...how?

I know how to take an avi already in 16:9 format and convert it to an mpg for burning a VCD and have it stay in 16:9 format...but don't know how to do a 4:3 to 16:9 conversion in the process.

Thanks

[jimmalenko]

a) Can you do this?

yes.

b) if so...can I do it with TMPGEnc?

yes.

c) and if so again...how?

Having said that, there's a big chance that you're gonna skew your aspect ratio. If you want to make it true widescreen, you have to mask top and bottom with horrible black bars too.

[guns1inger]

If it is a matted letterbox (i.e. widescreen on a 4:3, but not anamorphic), then you will have to chop some or all of the black bars from both the top and bottom, then stretch the clip vertically to fake 16:9

[TJohns]

...I want to convert them to 16:9 format...and make a VCD out of them.

I believe VCD specs doesn't support a widescreen format - you'll have to manually letterbox them to 4:3 anyway

Trev

[guns1inger]

There is nothing stopping you putting 16:9 anomorphic video on a VCD. It has the same resolution as 4:3. What it wont have is a flag to tell the display device to change AR. I have a WS switchable 4:3, and can manually adjust for 16:9 VCDs - or poorly authored DVDs - anything from Paramount, for instance.

[Nid]

Thanks for the responses. First...to jimmalenko...that tab you have a screen shot of is greyed out for me.

Converting it to 16:9 should make it look "normal". I think what happened is...I know the original video is in 16:9...the version I have is a rip of the original (I don't have the original)...some in mpg...one in avi...and these rips are in 4:3...so the image is off...stretched. I want to convert it back to 16:9. If I manually redimention a winamp screen when it is playing...(manually as in I'm just kind of guessing the AR by pulling the corner of the window)...it looks "normal" when closer to a widescreen 16:9 AR. I don't care if there are black bars on the top and bottem...I expect it. Just something I've got to live with until I get a widescreen TV. :]

Finally, my TV doesn't allow me to switch AR between 4:3 and 16:9. If it did...then I could probably just burn the 4:3 version and have my TV stretch it to a 16:9 display and all would be well...but I can't. :\

[midnightsun]

Thanks for the responses. First...to jimmalenko...that tab you have a screen shot of is greyed out for me.

you have some template loaded. Unlock it loading the "unlocked" template and your tab settings will be selectable

[midnightsun]

Reading your last post, if all that's wrong is the aspect ratio of the encode, you need to letterbox it and re-encode as 4:3,i.e. something like:

resize to 352x216 and pad with black until you fill the 352x288 screen if PAL. (and encode as 4:3)

resize to 352x180 and pad with black until you fill the 352x240 screen if NTSC. (and encode as 4:3)

You can do all of this within tmpegenc even though the resizing will slow down your encoding quite a lot, if compared to avisynth+tmpegenc for example.
Go to setting, advanced, check clip frame, double click it, then arrange setting, choose center (custom size) and enter the resolutions I gave above. Make sure that output format is 352x288/240, 4:3 display and you're done.

This will give you an "active" area with a 16:9 display aspect ratio (384x216 for PAL, 320x180 for NTSC), padded with black bars at the top and bottom since VCDs allow 4:3 material only.