Aspect Ratio

[yoshi1668]

I have ripped a DVD movie. But the original appears to be for wide screen. After I ripped it the image just doesn't look right. It appears the people has been 'stretch' sideway. Anyway we can fix that?

[Vejita-sama]

Is this on your PC or on your x(S)VCD? Remember that TV has a DAR of 4:3 while you PC monitor has a DAR of 1:1. We need to know what are you look like at (eg. VOB, MPG, DivX, etc).

[yoshi1668]

I'm looking from PC right now.

[vitualis]

If you are view it on the PC (with NTSC 352x240), people should look stretched sideways...

The DAR of 352x240 (when the pixel aspect ratio is 1:1 -- which it is on a PC) is 1.47.

The real DAR of the video clip (i.e., as played on a TV) is 1.33.

1.47 > 1.33 thus people look stretched horizontally...

If you view your mpeg in "full screen" with WMP, people should look normal again (WMP will correctly display it at a DAR of 4:3). This doesn't always work, however, so don't do anything drastic until you've burned it onto a CD as a VCD and viewed it on TV first (CD-RW may be a good option).

From what you've told me so far, I don't see that anything is actually wrong...

Regards.