Autosize not working? (and PAL vs NTSC)

[theboyk]

hello.
i have an .avi file that i would like to create a DVD from. like i always do, i use ffmpegX (.9s) with the DVD preset. usually this works without trouble, but today the .avi i'm trying to make into a DVD has resulted in two questions:

1. the avi is in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio. even though i selet this in the autosize pulldown, the resulting video (which i check via "preview") is put into the 4:3 aspect ration. in fact, any option via the autosize pulldown results in a 4:3 aspect ratio other than DVD 16:9 (but even then, the resulting video is squished compared to the original). does anyone know if this is a bug, or a way around it so i can get video resulting in the original 2.25:1 aspect ratio?

2. the original avi seems to be in PAL. is it possible to create a DVD playable on an NTSC system/player? do i instead select NTSC in the framerate pulldown?

any help would greatly appreciated!
k.

[major]

1. You have to letterbox your movie so as it fits in the TV screen without distortion. Do it manually or enable "Decode with Quicktime" to do it automatically.

2. You may change the framerate, but this is a risky process in terms of sound sync and it implies quality loss. Many players today can play both standards. You should check on a small clip first.