-I've been taking 576 x 432 [.avi]'s (DIVX & XVID) and encoding them to 640 x 432 [.m2v] (Mpeg2). For the Video Arrange Method, I have been selecting "Center (Keep Aspect Ratio)." It seems to be doing exactly what I want: it minimizes some overscanning on my TV; it cuts off a little bit less from the left & right and shows thin black bars on the top & bottom. The Aspect Ratio is 1:1, and it seems to be keeping it fine while minimizing overscanning. If it is straying from the AR, it is not noticeably.

-Now, I have a 640 x 480 [.avi] (XVID) that I want to encode to a 720 x 480 [.m2v] (DVD). Correct me if I'm wrong, but a TV's pixels are 8 x 9 while a monitor's pixels are 1 x 1; therefore, if I take 640 x 480 & encode it to a 720 x 480 and choose 4:3 Display, NTSC, etc. with TMPGEnc, I should get an image that is centered properly since the AR & the encoding ratio are the same. Instead, I get an image that is longer than it is wider so it shows some black bars to the left & right. It's not supposed to cut off that much.

-When I select "Center (Custom Size)" & do calculations based on the AR of 1:1 of the source, I get proper results. It minimizes the overscanning of the TV & gives the right AR. I've checked this with videos that have different AR's than this one (up until 2:1). I'm pretty sure my calculations are correct.

-Am I misunderstanding the "Center (Keep Aspect Ratio)" setting for Video Arrange Method of TMPGEnc's, or is TMPGEnc just faulty in this area? Is there another setting besides the obvious "Center (Custom Size)" that will get me a resulting video that centers the image just a bit (reducing overscanning) but still maintains the AR of the source, especially considering the fact that my Encoding Resolution is essentially 4:3 in both circumstances? "Center (Custom Size)" is customized for my particular TV, but we may change TV's, or I may play it somewhere else. I would like a non-customized solution, even if it doesn't completely reduce the 10% of overscanning that my TV does, as long as it does some, it would be nice. If TMPGEnc does have problems with this, then is there another program that can change the Video Arrange Method without reencoding the video? I would appreciate any comments, advice, help, etc.