what's the proper way of converting to 16:9 dvd for 4:3 tv?

[bluedha]

Ok, my question might not be clear.
Let's say I have a 16:9 avi file.
How can I make a 16:9 dvd out of it that can be watched properly on a 4:3 tv letterboxed?
I attempted it using canopus procoder at 704x480, 16:9, then dvdlab to make the dvd, but when watched on the 4:3 tv, the sides are cut off.
And no, this is not due to overscan. I've made countless vcd/svcd/xvcd to know my tv's overscan area (first time dvd though).
The encoded mpeg fully fills the dvdlab's preview screen (which is 16:9), so I'm assuming it's encoded at right aspect ratio.
Of course, when I watch it on the computer, it looks fine, I can see everything, so cut off is not from encoding.
I tried editing with IFOedit, checked it was in right resolution, in right aspect ratio, then checked/unchecked automatic letterbox options, but it didn't work.
I want to keep it in 16:9 so that when I eventually buy a new tv, it will look right.
I've also tried tmpgenc, played with its video arrange method option, but it didn't work.
Also tried cce 2.7, but for some reason, it insisted on encoding at 720x480 resolution, 4:3 ratio no matter what I do.
I'd like to know what steps I should take before I attempt another one.
I'd appreciate your help.

[turk690]

The only difference between a 16:9 MPEG-2 stream and a 4:3 encoded from the same 720x480 AVI source (irrespective of whether that source was visually anamorphic 16:9 or true 4:3 or whatever it looks like) is a flag that is set by the encoder and is included in the stream. In conjunction with any particular TV, this flag can tell a DVD player to automatically display the correct aspect ratio, putting black bars where needed. In the beginning of course it pays to identify exactly what kind of AVI file that is. For DVD it should ideally be 720x480 (NTSC). Is it an anamorphic 16:9 avi file? If so, in cce2.7 for instance, the 16:9 option should be checked. Is it a letterboxed 16:9 avi file (which means it's really 4:3)? Then it can either be encoded using 4:3, or resized to cut off the black bars and make it anamorphic in some NLE then encoded using 16:9. All of these will make a DVD player (set to 4:3 letterbox display mode, connected to such 4:3 TV) display the stream correctly with black bars on top and bottom. Even being diligent about 16:9/4:3 flag settings on encoding to MPEG, different combinations of TVs and DVD player display settings can conspire to make things difficult if not enough attention is paid. For example some DVD players have a zoom setting where a 16:9 picture will get zoomed getting rid of the black bars top and bottom but cutting off the left and right portions on a 4:3 TV. Could this be the case?

[guns1inger]

If it is correctly authored as true 16:9, and you DVD is configured correctly, it will play on a 4:3 TV without stretching. Do you watch commercial DVDs ? Most are 16:9, and I bet they play OK on your 4:3 TV.