Divx to DVD playback

[cuelie]

I encoded a 640x352 25fps to MPEG2 with the output setting: 720x480 and 4:3 NTSC. Source aspect ratio is 1:1VGA. The result is quite surprising when I view the result MPEG2 clip with WMP 9.0. When I view it in win2000. WMP9 showed a 720x540 resolution. But in winXP, it showed 640x480. I'm confused!! Which info is correct? I just want the video image size in the DVD to be the same as in the original Divx so that the quality is preserved. ANy idea?

[cplevel42]

Use Gspot freeware to determine.

[Vejita-sama]

Several points. The first is that since your source is 25fps (PAL) you'll need to convert that to a NTSC useable framerate (23.976fps or 29.97fps).

Also IF the DivX was correctly encoded it should have a DAR of 1:1. The aspect ratio for 640x352 is 1.81:1 (pretty close to 1.85:1 or academy flat). Since this is a DVD you have two choices, either make an anmorhic DVD and author with a 16:9 flag, or letterbox and author at 4:3.

From your post it's hard to tell which you did. We need to know what program/s you are using (TMPGenc?) and what settings/templates.

So there are two things you need to decide: a. how to get NTSC framerate, b. do I want a 16:9 anamorhic or 4:3 letterboxed video

[cuelie]

I used TMPGenc and with my own settings based on what I read on Doom9
Source: non-interlaced, 1:1DAR
Output: 720x480, 4:3, 23.976fps

My questions are:
1. What will happen when make the MPEG 23.97fps directly from a 25fps Divx in TMPG. Is the MPEG going to be OK? Why do I need to convert to 23.9fps first?
2. If I want a anamorphic 16:9, will I loose any quality since the original is 640 wide and the MPEG width is 852?
3. Do I get 720x540 or 640x480 MPEG if I want to do 4:3 letter box. Why do I get 2 different results when viewing in WMP9 in win2000 and winXP?
4. How do I preserve the width of 640 of the Divx file to get the best quality.
Thanks