Help - Anamorphic DVD authoring!

[insomnia]

Just about to capture an anamorphic TV program and want to put it on DVD. I'll be capturing at 720x576 (PAL) and using tmpgenc, tmpgenc DVD author and Nero to burn. Now do I encode to MPEG2 using 16:9 aspect ratio, then burn or do I have to resize the capture first?

[Quigonsean]

Well if you are capping from TV, or VHS for that matter it is not Anamorphic, it is Forced Letterbox that is Non-Anamorphic Widescreen at least your cap won't be, but you can author it that way. Here I just wrote a full set of instructions for someone else here https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=156713
Hope it helps,
Sean Ward

[insomnia]

ARe you sure about it not being anamorphic? Its a cap off digital cable over here in the UK. The picture is sqashed (so everything looks vertically streched) and my TV switches into "full" mode, the same as if an anamorphic DVD was being played.

[Quigonsean]

On tve yeah it is Anamorphic, but on your cap, well on cap it will depend on you capping software and setup. You might be right now that I think of it. It was late when I posted, give me a sec. Whats weird is that your not "Ripping" it that is your not extracting the data. It does not matter what you tv looks like. Kinda like this. Okay hook up a set top dvd player to your cap card, then insert an Anamorphic DVD hit play and the record on your software. The DVD may be Anamorphic, but what is capped will be letterboxed in a 4:3 frame. That is the letterboxing on the cap will be part of the image. I've done that but it was back whatever year StarWars Phantom Menace came out in theatre I bought a boot of it a week after relerase in theatre's. It was the 1st I heard of vcd I went running out and bought a Dazzel DVCUSB. All the caps of anamorphic W/S where letterboxed in a 4:3 frame making the capture nonAnamorphic, just like a VHS W/S version. However new software is differant, I use win DVR and it has setting of 4:3 `:1 16:9 and 2.35:1. I have never input a truley Anamorphic source through the capture card and into the software set on W/S to see if it caps correctly or just crops the top making it poorman's or psudo widescreen. The easy way to tell. Cap something that is being broadcast Anamorphic that is its squeezed weird looking and your tv stretches it. Cap that just a small test,
if your software stretches it and fills the frame completely without cropping the sides off, then yes you are recording in Anamorphic, but if it compresees the hiegt down proportionally and letterboxes the top and bottom that no your cap is non Anamorphic, the source is, but the capture is not. That test will tell you right then and there. You know look at your cap does it look like it would on a 4:3 tv without the image getting all weird looking then its forced letterbox. If it fills the entire playback frame with no cropping on sides or top and no letterboxing it is an Anamorphic capture. You know I don't think it will cap in anamorphic, but
i could be very werong. Damn now I'm not gonna rest till I hook up the dvd player to my cap card set the software to 16:9 and cap some to see. I'll try and hold off but I know me it will drive me nuts till I try it. If I do I'll post.

Sean

[insomnia]

Hi sean. Yes I do seem to capture as anamorphic :

http://www.karmadrome.co.uk/images/cap1.jpg

I did a quick capture, encode and burn using the tools I listed above and played through my dvd player the picture was displayed fine (TV switched to full mode, picture filled the whole screen).