Resizing with FitCD

[xycer]

i have an AVI Source that is 608x256 (2.375) and i want to convert it to DVD. i was told to get my script from FitCD, and FitCD gave me a script that resized it to 720x368 (with 56/56 borders). on a 16:9 display, wouldnt this have an aspect ratio of 2.32 (852x368), and wouldnt 720x358 with 61/61 borders be a closer AR (852x358) than what FitCD gave me?

[guns1inger]

It depends on what settings you used. FitCD has a number of methods, some of which do various roundings for encoding efficiency. These can results in a slightly different AR for the output. Make sure you set crop to Accurate, and that your ticked options accurately reflect your source.

[xycer]

thanks.

so do you think whatever numbers FitCD gives me, i should just go with that, for all sources? (assuming i'm doing it right, of course)

and what do you think... would my theory (resizing it to 720x358 with 61/61 borders) be closer to the sources AR, or would FitCD's? the way i see it, mine would be closer.

[guns1inger]

My resize calculator gives the same result to FitCD, FWIW. I haved used FitCD a lot, and compared it's calculations to those done by hand when writing my own, and seems to be pretty tight. I trust it.

But ultimately, it's up to you.

[xycer]

thanks.

few more questions...

1. when fitcd resizes, it adds other numbers to the target resolution. for example, this is one i just did: LanczosResize(720,352,2,0,636,256). obviously 720,352 is the target resize, but what about the other numbers? are they needed, or can they be deleted from the script?

and 2. kinda off topic, but i read DJRumpy's guide found here:
https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=222898
it seems like he put a "False" at the end of the AVISource file, whenever you're using a seperate audio file (like ac3 or wav). is it necessary to put a "False" at the end of the source file (ie, AVISource("source.avi", false)?

[manono]

Didn't trust me, eh? Needed a second opinion, eh?

are they needed, or can they be deleted from the script?

They're needed to keep the AR. Those are the cropping values. They can be written as:

LanczosResize(720,352,2,0,636,256)

or :

Crop(2,0,636,256)
LanczosResize(720,352)

or:

Crop(2,0,-2,0)
LanczosResize(720,352)

And I told you in the other thread they cropped, but in the example you gave (different from this one) I removed them as nothing was being cropped.

is it necessary to put a "False" at the end of the source file (ie, AVISource("source.avi", false)?

Yes, so CCE doesn't handle the audio, or error out for some reason or other. It's better that you demux the audio and handle it in a separate dedicated audio program. Me, in those very rare instances when I reencode an AVI for MPEG-2, I first demux the audio, and then create another copy of the video with no audio at all, completely remove it, Then you don't need to add that "False".

........................
Edited later because I had the crops after the resize, instead of before, as it should be.

[xycer]

didn't want to offend you, Manono... i know you're a very knowledgeable guy, but what i really wanted was an explanation really. i didn't really get one, but a second opinion is just as good =].

would it be a safe choice to leave the crop values in, regardless? when would i ever want/need to crop the video? like if i wanted to make a 4:3 source play on a 16:9 display, or vice versa?

btw, thanks.

[kschang]

Cropping is needed when you get a source that does not exactly conform to a specific aspect ratio, or you want to align the sizes so the blocking / macroblocking can be optimized, and so on and so forth. Remember that pixel aspect ratio on a computer is 1:1, but that's not always true on a TV, so there's correction there. The nice part is FitCD does all that for you.

[xycer]

thanks.

[manono]

would it be a safe choice to leave the crop values in, regardless?

Even if no cropping is being done (as in the example from your other thread) it's perfectly safe to leave it in. It'll just slow the encoding by a very little bit. And I always convert it to separate Crop/Resize lines myself, as I like the looks better. I find the 3rd example from my post above the most intuitive. As you may have figured out by now, the 4 numbers in sequence tell you what's being cropped from where:

Crop(Left,Top,Right,Bottom)

or:

LanczosResize(720,352,Left,Top,Right,Bottom)