subtitles & black bars

[Kiezel]

(sorry for my bad english)
Hey, I'm using virtualdubmod so I can add subtitles. There's no problem with adding subtitles, it's only the output I'm not happy with.
When I attach my laptop with the tv so I can watch movies at the tv there are big black bars at the up and down of the screen. I assume it's to put the subtitles in it? Anyways, only a bit of the screen is left for the movie and IN the movie there are the subtitles. When I don't add subtitles and go watch the movie on my tv there are only the normal (and not big) black bars in it. So i want these subtitles in my movie but i don't want the screen to get smaller. So that the subtitles are IN the movie is something I don't care about. I've googled but can't find a clear answer. We have a big panasonic tv.

Does anyone know what I should do? Thank you.

[Baldrick]

I guess you know that if you are playing with your laptop you don't have to hard code subs with virtualdubmod. Most software player supports external subtitles or together is vsfilter.

[Kiezel]

I'm aware of that. But what if I still want to do it this way. I have read something about it's the wrong yyyXyyy I mean the lenght and the width of the creen. But if I look at the information, both the input and the output are the same if I remember well. the output has just bigger black bars.

[Kiezel]

Is it impossible, does nobody know or am I to inpatient? I'm sorry if it's the lastone.

[Case]

Possibly your file has a PAR adjustment that the converted file doesn't have (or vise versa, or wrongly set). That could explain the change in the size of the letterbox bars.
Is the converted file the same format as the source file?
What are the frame sizes, in pixels?