Enlarging pixel dimensions on MPEG from VCD?

[shira]

Can anyone suggest a good tool that converts an MPEG file with small frame size dimensions (small number of pixels) to a full-size MPEG frame size?

I have an MPEG file that I extracted from a VCD using ISOBuster. The size of the actual frames is 352x288 pixels. It's PAL, if that matters.

I would like to enlarge it to a full height of 480 pixels, and allow its width to resize to whatever is appropriate to maintain the proper dimensions, I guess that would be 587 pixels?

I tried it in Adobe Premier, but it inserted an ugly black vertical bar down each side to fill in the difference between the 587 pixel width that would preserve the correct dimensions and the 720 width of a typical video.

Any better tools for this job out there?

[edDV]

Why are you doing this?
What are your expectations?

First observation is 352x288 indicates PAL at 25 fps rate.

480 indicates you want 29.97 fps NTSC? Why not just play the file on the computer?

[Cornucopia]

Yeah, there are 2 issues here--The PAL/NTSC difference and The Frame Size difference.

You have to work out the PAL/NTSC thing out 1st.

If, for example, you can leave it as PAL, then you don't have to do ANYTHING (to the video--audio may need to be SampleRateConverted).
Why? Because PAL DVD's support 352x288, 352x576, 704x576 and 720x576 frame sizes. IOW, the player understands how to do the correct resizing in hardware so it will play correctly in full screen. And most hardware resizing of this kind (1:2) is much simpler and of better quality in hardware. You still will have a difference in resolution between this footage and stuff that is natively 720x576 (the former being a good deal blurrier/blockier), but that's it.

If you're going to NTSC (as would be native for someone in California), you are going to need to do a frame/field resize and framerate convert anyway, so you might as well push it to 720x480.

Scott

[shira]

Thanks for the initial replies!

The reason I need to convert/upsize it at all: I want to extract excerpts from it to put on a compilation DVD with clips from other sources. The only editing software I have to extract short clips from an hourlong video is Adobe Premier. As noted in my earlier message, Premier inserted black vertical bars on each side of the output footage, giving a result sort of like a vertical letterbox. I want to avoid that, so I was thinking maybe if I first up-sized the clip using a different tool, then I wouldn't have the issue with Premier inserting the black lines.

Yes, I will need to convert it from PAL to NTSC at some point. My DVD authoring software has the ability to do that at DVD-writing time, so I was figuring that piece could be done then.

[edDV]

Thanks for the initial replies!

The reason I need to convert/upsize it at all: I want to extract excerpts from it to put on a compilation DVD with clips from other sources. The only editing software I have to extract short clips from an hourlong video is Adobe Premier. As noted in my earlier message, Premier inserted black vertical bars on each side of the output footage, giving a result sort of like a vertical letterbox. I want to avoid that, so I was thinking maybe if I first up-sized the clip using a different tool, then I wouldn't have the issue with Premier inserting the black lines.

Yes, I will need to convert it from PAL to NTSC at some point. My DVD authoring software has the ability to do that at DVD-writing time, so I was figuring that piece could be done then.

A better technique might be to keep the 352x288 resolution as a pic-in-pic style box. It will look bad enlarged to 720x480 if your other material is good quality. Just mask it.

[jagabo]

PAL 352x288 has a 4:3 picture aspect ratio. Just resize to 720x480 MPEG2 and it will have the right aspect ratio for 4:3 NTSC TV. Leave the frame rate at 25 fps progressive. Then use DGPulldown to add pulldown flags for 29.97 fps.

[shira]

Jagabo, but how do I resize this mpeg? What tool will do that for me?

PAL 352x288 has a 4:3 picture aspect ratio. Just resize to 720x480 MPEG2 and it will have the right aspect ratio for 4:3 NTSC TV. Leave the frame rate at 25 fps progressive. Then use DGPulldown to add pulldown flags for 29.97 fps.

[jagabo]

Jagabo, but how do I resize this mpeg? What tool will do that for me?

PAL 352x288 has a 4:3 picture aspect ratio. Just resize to 720x480 MPEG2 and it will have the right aspect ratio for 4:3 NTSC TV. Leave the frame rate at 25 fps progressive. Then use DGPulldown to add pulldown flags for 29.97 fps.

I don't have Premiere. Surely it lets you resize in any way you want. Just about every editing/conversion program does. Look for resizing options. What you want to do is stretch the 352x288 frame to 720x480.

[guns1inger]

Nothing is going to resize and keep any real quality. There just isn't enough information left in the image to produce a reasonable blow up.