converting an HDTV avi - aspect ratio question

[nikkoforever]

So I've downloaded a couple of episodes of Lost that I want to convert and put on DVD so I can watch them on my tv. The clips I downloaded appear to have been converted to AVI from a HDTV stream. When I play them on my computer, they appear to be widescreen. Not sure what their exact aspect-ratio is. Anyway, I having trouble converting them so that they will play the same way on my television (i.e. with the black bars on the top and bottom). Predictably, the video ends up looking stretched out and distorted.

I'm using TMPGenc to do the conversion. Using the Project Wizard, I selected NTSC (16:9) as the output format of my file. That didn't work. So then I tried selecting a different aspect ratio in the Expert Setting for Source box on the next screen. That didn't work either.

Any advice on how to successfully convert these files into the right aspect ratio would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help.

[Skynet107]

I converted Lost HDTV (probably the same file as you have) using CCE and AVISynth. It is best to encode using Anamorphic mode because the original is 16:9. Here is the script I used.

AviSource("C:\DVD\lost\lost103-qhr.avi")
LanczosResize(720,480,0,0,960,528)

In CCE I set the encode mode to 16:9 and authored with DVD-Lab the picture quality is great. Not as good as the original though due to the reduced rez of DVD compared to the original. I don't know the exact settings in TMPGEnc because I don't use it anymore. But make sure you set TMPGEnc to "do not change frame rate" because the original is 23.976 you want to keep it that way, othewise it will encode to 29.97. Also I believe you have to unlock and set the frame rate, and also unlock and set to 16:9. And set the source 1:1 VGA (if you frameserve from AVISynth which I strongly recommend.)

edit: your mistake may have been trying to preserve the aspect ratio. Seeing the source is 16:9 then when you re-encode to keep the aspect you encode to anamorphic (16:9 mode) which is full screen 720x480. On a 16:9 display it is stretched and displayed properly. On a 4:3 display the DVD player will letterbox the image to have the proper aspect.

[Skynet107]

I just did a test with TMPGEnc and it turned out correct.
Settings are: (not frame served from AVISynth)

do not frame rate conversion
source type: progressive
source aspect: 1:1
video arrange method: full screen
bottom field first

size: 720x480
16:9 display
frame rate: 23.976

I also did a test frameserved from AVISynth and it looked MUCH BETTER. The resize in TMPGenc is TERRIBLE. Wow I can't believe how much better using the LanczosResize in AVISynth is.

[nikkoforever]

Wow. I should have mentioned that I'm a newb. What is CCE? A program? Also, I have no idea what frame serving is. Any additional help you could provide would be much appreciated, as was your feedback so far. I was able to get it working in TMPGenc, but as you said, the quality is not so good.