This is driving me NUTS! Here's the problem, and from what I've read, this definitely IS a problem with many people. I'm trying to convert mpeg2 files from PAL to NTSC so that I can author them with DVD Lab to play them on my standalone. The settings from Pal to NTSC conversion in "TMPEG Plus" are what everyone says to do:

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Stream type: MPEG-2 Video
Size: 352x240
Aspect Ratio: 4:3
Frame rate: 29.97 fps
Rate control mode: CBR
Bitrate: 1800 kbs
VBV Buffer size: 0 (automatic)
Video format: NTSC
Profile & Level: Main profile & Main level
Encode mode: Interlace
YUV format: 4:2:0
DC component precision: 8 bits
Motion search precision: Normal
Source aspect ratio: Full screen (keep aspect ratio)

Audio transcode is set to 48,000
MPEG1 - II layer (MP2)
224 kbs
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Now, with the above settings, my computer takes about 1 hour, 20 minutes, to convert the PAL mpeg2 file into a NTSC MPEG2 file. At that point, I load the file into DVD Lab, then DVD lab demuxes the file, no problem. It also accepts the settings that the file is at. It reports no errors or incapatable frame sizes, rates, etc. I then author the file and compile it. To test it, I use Power DVD to watch it. THAT'S WHERE THE PROBLEMS BEGIN. When I play the movie,it works. Then when I try to fast forward the movie, it FREEZES. THEN, when I go to the chapter selection that I created for the movie, when I click on chapter 1, the movie plays. When I click on chapters 2 through 6, the movie DOESN'T LOAD. The chapter selection screen just freezes. Then I hit the "title menu" option, and Power DVD goes back to the main screen with no problem. Just for the heck of it, I burned the movie onto a DVD+RW and tried to use it in my standalone. It does the exact same things wrong on my standalone that it does wth Power DVD.
Am I doing something wrong regarding the TMPEG Plus settings"? If so, WHAT? I've tried using 720x480 instead of 352x240. That didn't change anything. I tried a framerate of 23.97 with a 3:2 pulldown, and THAT didn't work. All settings that I tried produced the same results. Any help with this problem would really be appreciated.