Aspect Ratio - iMedia Converter

[raqdlm]

Good Day All ...

I'm using iMedia Deluxe Converter for Mac.

My goal is to extract episodes to store on hard drive to play using on Roku via Plex.

When I input the DVD to the program it shows aspect is 720*540.

Even though DVD plays fine on TV (fully fills screen), when I play the extracted/converted file the picture is square.

Contacted iSkySoft (makers of iMedia) and was told to change to 16:9 in aspect ratio settings and resolution to 1280*720 then convert.

I did that and it does solve the aspect ratio so it fully fills TV screen properly, but the quality deteriorates.

Which I expected might be an issue being it's being converted up in resolution.

If I select 16:9 but do not change the resolution, it plays back square on TV screen.

I'm pretty much a novice when it comes to video conversion, so please bear with me.

Is there anyone using iMedia Converter for Mac who can give me some pointers?

Or is there a better program to accomplish what I'm trying to do?

[Baldrick]

Don't use 1280x720. Use max 720x480/576 with 16:9 aspect ratio.


Or try free software like handbrake.

[raqdlm]

While waiting for replies I tried changing it to 640*360 (1/2 of 1280*720) and gave that a shot. File was still converting when I received notice there was a response. The 640*360 worked. Quality much better and of course took far less time to extract/convert. Thanks so much for the response, it's much appreciated.

[Cornucopia]

That 720x540 business is the age-old QT-related bug. What you've got is really 720x480 SAR, with a DAR of 16:9 (probably), but the player (converter?) isn't respecting either the DAR or the PAR.

You should not be CONVERTING (as in re-encoding) anything. Roku itself should be able to handle the VOB/MPGs and respect the AR flags, so it's just a matter of using the correct ripping app. You should only be converting if: 1. your media player doesn't accept the original native format of the files (or respect the AR flags), or 2. you have file-size limitations that require them being smaller.

Not sure the best Mac-based ripper apps right now...will let someone else provide that info.

Scott

[raqdlm]

The program allows you to extract and choose aspect ratio, resolution, etc. By using it and creating a file like I just did, it also creates a smaller file. I want the file to be good quality but not take up a ton of hard drive space. The program even has pre-sets for various devices such as iPhones, iPads, etc. What I did a few minutes ago worked perfectly fine. No need to rip using iMedia Converter. The file is extracted and saved in format you wish. As for Mac-based rippers, the best one I ever used was MacTheRipper. Now that I've found the resolution-solution via iMedia Converter, I'm thrilled with the outcome and speed at which the program does what I want it to do. Thanks again everyone for the info and your help.

[HitTheRoad]

MacTheRipper works fine in most cases. But Mac DVDRipper Pro is the best.