Remove Boxing from DVD Rip

[kerb]

Greetings,
I am fairly new to DVD ripping and conversion. I have noticed that all DVD have the frame 720*567.
What I would like to know is the actual dimension of the movie without the boxing.
How much should I deduct for square format ratio and widescreen ratio?
I think there is a standard number for this only so far I have not been able to locate it.
Have a great festive period.
Thank you.

[jagabo]

There is no standard number because different movies have different aspect ratios. Open your source in an editor like VirtualDub and use the visual Crop tool to determine how many lines are to be removed at the top and bottom.

If you have a 16:9 video in a 4:3 DAR 720x576 DVD frame you need to crop a total of 144 lines off the top and bottom. But the video isn't always centered so it may not be as simple as 72 off the top and 72 off the bottom.

Be aware that many codecs have requirements for the frame size. Most won't accept odd frame sizes, many require integer multiples of 4 (mod 4). Most are more efficient at mod 8 or mod 16. So you many need to adjust your crops to leave an acceptable frame size or resize after cropping.

[kerb]

Thank you.

But the thing is when I open it in VirtualDub the screen on the right is stretched to the DVD dimensions and not a widescreen format.

So I cannot find out the real dimensions of the actual video.

Hope I have expressed myself correctly.

Thanks again.

EDIT: I played around with the resize filter values and I think I am getting there. Will post again with the results.

[jagabo]

VirtualDub is showing you the real dimensions of the video -- in pixels. The final picture dimensions are a product of the frame dimensions and the pixel aspect ratio (shape of individual pixels).

DAR = SAR * PAR

DAR = display aspect ratio (the final aspect ratio that is displayed)
SAR = storage aspect ratio (the frame size)
PAR = pixel aspect ratio (the aspect ratio, shape, of individual pixels)

DVDs come in only two DARs: 4:3 and 16:9. Any movie whose DAR does not match the DVD DAR will be letterboxed or pillarboxed within the frame. Because PAL DVD requires a 720x576 (and a few other which I've never seen used on a commercial DVD) frame size.

The simplest procedure for you is to first resize to the DAR of the DVD, then crop away any black borders. So a 720x576 16:9 DAR DVD can be resized to 720x404 (approximately 16:9). Then crop away any black borders - being mindful of any frame size limitations of your chosen codec. For a 720x576 4:3 DAR DVD can be resized to 720x540 (4:3), then cropped.