Why can't I get a widescreen copy with Winavi?

[dfisher052]

I am trying out Winavi 7.5 & trying to convert an avi to dvd. I go into advanced settings/encode & set the source aspect ratio to 16:9. Next I go into DVD and set the target format to NTSC, the Aspect Ratio to 16:9 and the Constant Video Quality to Medium and the Preferences to By Quality. I convert and the end results look fine on the computer, but when I burn it to a dvd & play it on my stand alone it is not widescreen but fullscreen. Now, I can take the same avi and convert it in vso's Copy to DVD & it comes out widescreen.
I have also tried Auto settings & still get the same results. I think I've tried just about every variation of settings and it seems that no matter what I do it still comes out full screen. Oh, and by the way this happens with every avi & mpeg I've tried. A fullscreen will come out full screen, but all of the widescreens still come out fullscreen. And again, with Copy to DVD they all come out at the proper screen ratio. Am I missing something?

[thecoalman]

The 16:9 flag has to be maintained during the authoring stage. What are you using to author the disc.

[guns1inger]

WinAVI = The Biggest Piece of Monkey Crap Ever (search for this phrase and you will find out why).

[dfisher052]

OK, I've tried a couple of other converters & they do the same thing as Winavi. It seems as though the Copy to DVD is the only one that doesn't stretch the picture vertically. Still can't figure out why one does & the other doesn't.
The reason for wanting to be able to still use Winavi is I'm trying to merge 2 avi files. The Winavi transitions from one avi to the other is seamless. With Copy to DVD there is a slight hitch. The Winavi makes one complete VOB, but Copy to DVD makes 2 seperate VOB's & that's where the hitch is (momentary pause).

[Baldrick]

yep, many all in one tools has problem keeping correct aspect ratio. if you want good result use a standalone encoder or with fitcd avisynth resizing.

[guns1inger]

I have never had a problem with ConvertXtoDVD keep the correct aspect ratio.

As to the hitch - it is not caused by multiple VOBs, as most commercial discs will have 4 or more VOBs just for the main movie. The time you see a slight hitch in commercial movies is at the layer break. The issue is that you get multiple titles. This can be fixed by authoring with tmpgenc DVD author. It can also be fixed simply by changing the aspect ratio flags in the disc before burning. There are many tools to do this, including ifoedit, dvd patcher and restream.

I would be interested to see a d-gpot 2.52beta screenshot of this avi if you could.