who knows about aspect?

[saltyJD]

I have tried various ways to get the VCDs I make to play FULL screen on my tv. I dont seem to be able to find the right combination setting the source apect ratio vs the video setting aspect. I have played with the settings on my DVD player, changing fron 4:3 panscan to 4:3 letterbox to 16:9. Nothing seems to work . Anyone out there have luck with this? I sure would appreciate some advice. I have read and read but can seem to find the right settings...

[lethargic]

I have the same problem but backwards. Even though the VCDs I burn are widescreen, when I watch them on TV they playback fullscreen. The settings on the DVD player have no effect on this. Does anybody know how to fix this?

[poopyhead]

I have the same problem but backwards. Even though the VCDs I burn are widescreen, when I watch them on TV they playback fullscreen. The settings on the DVD player have no effect on this. Does anybody know how to fix this?

output video should be 4:3 NTSC

source aspect ratio is determined by dvd2avi (in info box), either 16:9 or 4:3

image positioning method is full screen (preserve aspect ratio)

[Akai Rounin]

Issues with Aspect Ratio

Keep in mind that the VCD standard size of 352x240 pixels is neither 4:3 (fullscreen [NTSC standard]) nor 16:9 (widescreen [letterboxed]). On some displays, say on your computer, a 352x240 display may be stretched to fill the entire screen. On other screens, like on your NTSC standard television, the video might be centered, with only the center 320 pixels visible (16 pixels on either side beyond the frame) due to overscan. 352x240 is simply half the vertical and horizontal resolution of a 704x480 full size frame. That's one of many reasons why even at it's best VCD will never look quite as good as DVD. [NOTE: There are many other sizes used in video, including 720x480, 640x480, 480x480, 360x240, 320x240, etc.... but we are sticking to VCD here.]

These days many DVDs are released as two disc sets. On front of each disc there is an icon that shows its aspect ratio. If one is labeled STANDARD then it usually says 4:3 on the icon. If the other disc is labeled WIDESCREEN then the icon reads something like 16:9, 1.78:1 or 2.35:1 on it. Older discs will have WIDESCREEN on one side and STANDARD on the other. To make things as simple as possible, make sure you pick the DVD with the aspect ratio you want the VCD to be in.

OK guys, since we are talking about VCDs, I'll assume you are both using TMPGEnc to prepare your MPEG1 files. If you have picked the STANDARD DVD, everything is pretty straightforward. Once you have begun frameserving your ripped DVD's VOB files to TMPGEnc, you can pretty much leave all the basic VCD settings alone.

Things are a bit different with WIDESCREEN video though. If you are using the TMPGEnc Project Wizard, pick your template, then choose your source files for audio and video. When you reach the page "Project Wizard 3/5 Filter Setting" choose "Other settings". That brings up the MPEG setting dialog where you will choose the "Advanced" tab. Here you will choose "16:9 Display" from the "Source Aspect Ratio:" drop-down menu. Then pick "Full screen (keep aspect ratio 2)" from the "Video arrange Method:" section and click OK. Then just finish up the wizard and begin encoding. If you aren't using the Project Wizard, just pick "Setting | Advanced" and follow the same instructions from there.

When things really get complicated is if you want to take a WIDESCREEN source and make it FULLSCREEN, or vice-versa. It can be done, but the result is rarely favorable. In order to get the WIDESCREEN video to appear on the full display, you will either have to morph the video by stretching it or pick a portion of the frame to truncate or cut off. Much the same is true of attempting to letterbox a STANDARD movie. You can stretch it horizontally to be 16:9, but people will look abnormally short and squat. You could also chop off the top, bottom or both parts of the video, leaving the people looking in proportion, but in some scenes you wouldn't be able to see important features because they'd be off-screen. I don't recommend trying any of these methods.

Well, that's about it really. If you need further help, I suggest checking out the numerous guides here at VCDHelp.com or doing some further experimentation on your own.

Unta Glebin Gloutin Globin,

Akai Rounin, The Cyber Sage

[saltyJD]

Thanks for the reply. i will try these things you discussed here and one day may understand it as well as you!

[House de Kris]

Issues with Aspect Ratio

Keep in mind that the VCD standard size of 352x240 pixels is neither 4:3 (fullscreen [NTSC standard]) nor 16:9 (widescreen [letterboxed]).

Really? I thought VCD was defined with a DAR of 4:3. What gives?

[kinneera]

It is, but he's also right that literally interpreted 352x240 isn't exactly 4:3 if you assume to pixelform to be square (computers). TV's "pixelform" is slightly rectangular, though, which is the source of the discrepancy.

[kyemeng]

While trying to make a SVCD, the images ended up being pushed to the left of the TV screen in a rectangular tall format. Actually, what I was trying to do was to frame serve the captured footage from the TV card (after editing out the adverts) from Premiere to Tmpgnc and finally burning in Nero. VCDs created using the above turned out alright.
After much experimenting with the settings both in Premiere and Tmpgnc, the results were all more or the same.
Finally, it dawn on me that I was using the wizard in Nero to burn the CD!
After using the SVCD template in Nero, things turned out as they should be.
I am not sure if the above actually applies to you, but after days of frustration is burning and testing out the different settings, the solution turned out to be something very simple.

[lethargic]

Well, this stuff helped me in conversion. Now when I convert to mpeg both the avi and mpeg match. They're both widescreen. So I thought my problem was solved. But then when I burned it with Nero and watched it on the TV, it cut the sides off again and made it full screen.