I want to convert an AVI to a DVD using AVI2DVD but it messes up aspect...

[Axonn Echysttas]

Hello everybody ::- ). I got into a little trouble when trying to transform an AVI into a DVD. I wasted about 10 hours of CPU before realizing that I can't do it.

AVI:
576x240 (2.40:1) [=12:5]

Now, the problem is that this AVI2DVD software only accepts input at 16/9 or 4/3 (and can only produce output at 16/9 or 4/3).

So... what can I do to have this AVI be seen AS IT IS on a DVD?

Thank you in advance for your time and any help.

[guns1inger]

Many commercial DVDs have movies with 2.35 or 2.4 aspect ratios. They do this by adding small black bars to the top and bottom to pad out the image. Choose 16:9 as your output aspect ratio and encode. It should all be fine.

[Axonn Echysttas]

Maybe. But this AVI2DVD doesn't seem to do it right. I tried to create a DVD from that movie in both formats and it messed it up as far as I remember. That program has a screen where you need to specify the aspect ratio of the source: 16/9 or 4/3. But my source isn't either! So I guess that's the problem. The program can only encode those kind of movies ::- (. How do you people encode DVDs from AVI???

[guns1inger]

I use avisynth to resize, using either FitCD or PARanoia to calculate the resizing. I also add a couple of filters (blockbuster before te resize, aSharp after) to clean it. I feed this into CCE to encode the video stream. If the audio is AC3 I use it as is. If not I strip it out with VDM, and use sound forge to encode it to AC3. Author it in DVD Lab Pro and burn with Prassi ONES.

If I am in a hurry, or it's something for the kids, I use ConvertXtoDVD.

[Axonn Echysttas]

Wow, seems like you're some guru in recoding eh? ::- D. Can you tell me why do you "clean it"? Some links for those filters? ::- ). And for VDM? Thanks a lot for the tools so far.

And why do you say "if it's something for the kids"? That "ConvertXtoDVD" produces bad results or what? ::- ).

[guns1inger]

ConvertXtoDVD's results are very close to the original, but softer because the video has been resized to DVD spec. The filters I generally use try to compensate for this. Blockbuster reduces the appearance of compression artifacts associated with mpeg4 compression. These can become very obvious when you resize the video up. BB doesn't get rid of them, but it does reduce them in most cases. aSharp restores some of the definition to the image after it has been resized. ConvertXtoDVD cannot read avisynth scripts, and does not apply any filters. However, ConvertXtoDVD can do in an hour what the manual method takes 4 - 5 hours to do, so it is a simple approach for some of the throw-away type stuff the kids like.

The most comprehensive list of avisynth filters can be found here http://www.avisynth.org/~warpenterprises

I don't consider myself any type of guru. I have spent some time reading and experimenting, and have found some combinations that work me and do what I need. Spend some time in the advanced conversion and restoration forum, or the avisynth forum at Doom9 and you will see real gurus. My scripts are very basic in comparison.

[Axonn Echysttas]

Spend some time in my Forum and you'll see what a guru you are *laugh*.

So ConvertXtoDVD is better than AVI2DVD. I hope it can deal with that 2.40 movie. I'll test it before I take off to work ::- ). I will not go in the manual method yet since I got a lot of other shit on my head... two projects that need finishing... you know... right now I'll take the easy way out but I'll save this conversation for the future.

Thank you for all the information dude. Appreciated. A lot ::- ).