AVI to DVD width problem

[PhantomSX]

Hi,

registered on this forum because I have a problem and after 2 weeks of trying, burning DVD coasters and looking up info on the net I gave up and decided to just ask for help on a forum.

I'm trying to make a DVD of multiple AVI's with hardcoded subtitles to watch on the TV with a standalone, but I can't get around the "overscan" problem.

So far I've managed to convert the 640*480 NTSC source to a 768*576 PAL MPEG video, along with the converted audio in MP3 format. The video and audio are all in sync, the menu works fine, the chapters are in the right places, everything's cool, but I just can't seem to get the full image onto the TV screen.

I've used FitCD to recode the 640*480 NTSC to PAL for a 720 DVD and set it to overscan=2 (out of 3 so that's a pretty wide black bar all around). Then loaded the AviSynth file into CCE SP and encoded with 1 pass VBR, then used TMPG DVD Author to make the DVD with the encoded MPEG-2's and their corresponding audio tracks in MP3 format.

When I playback the resulting DVD files from the hard drive, the black lines are obvious and you'd think it would display the same on a standalone, but guess again. There seems to be no difference between the first DVD I made without the overscan correction and this one, so what's going on?

First attempt was done with WinAvi, second attempt as well where I put black bars around the video with WinAvi, displayed like I wanted it to but there where strange lines around the subtitles and the image looked weird altogether. So then I decided to go all out and travel down the VirtualDubMod/FitCD/BeSweet/CCE road and I pretty much ended up with the DVD I made the first time.

What am I doing wrong? Is this because of 1:1 and 4:3 pixels? I thought I corrected for that by encoding with CCE to MPEG-2 "for DVD".

I hope someone can help, thanks. Great forum/site btw 8)

[guns1inger]

When you encode with CCE, don't choose "For DVD". Just make sure that avisynth is sending the correct size through. Secondly, I would do either CBR or 2-pass VBR. Single pass VBR is worthless IMO (I generally do 3-pass VBR for avi conversions). Your finsla problem is that you should be resizing to 720 x 576 for PAL, as you will be encoding with non-square pixels. I suspect that by resizing incorrectly, then asking CCE to encode "For DVD" you are cropping off most of the good work.

When using FitCD, set the source to 1:1 for AVI files, and the Destination to DVD 720 or DVD 704. You have yours set to 1:1, which is incorrect for DVD encoding.

[PhantomSX]

Hey thanks for your reply, but I think I need to clarify something (typed it at school in a hurry).

FitCD was set to DVD 720 and when I open the avisynth script in Media Player Classic the properties say 720*576 total size, so that's okay (and the black edges are obvious). But somewhere in the process (I now suspect that "for DVD" option) that changes again because when I open the final MPEG file (the one ready for authoring) the properties say 768*576 though in full screen mode the black edges are still there. Is that the problem? That when I burn that dvd and try to play it in my standalone, that because of the 48 extra pixels that were put in the image is too wide?

Damn I really hope that's it

[manono]

Hi-

...the properties say 768*576 though in full screen mode the black edges are still there.

That's as it should be. 720x576 is the encoded resolution, and 768x576 is the resized resolution. So what's the problem again? You see the added overscan bars on the computer, but not on the standalone? Maybe your TV just has a huge amount of overscan, and you have to go for the "3" blocks overscan setting in FitCD. Or maybe 2 blocks gives you almost all of the picture, and it's good enough. Me, I don't like to see added overscan bars.

[guns1inger]

The properties should say 720, not 768. 768 is 1:1, not 4:3. Use the latest g-spot (2.52beta or later) to see the true state of your mpeg.

[PhantomSX]

No it's not nearly good enough... The result is practically the same between the latest (with the 768*576 and 2 blocks) as the result from my first encode with WinAvi, which had no correction at all...

I'm losing at least 20 pixels left and right, so that might be the 48 pixels?

The final version's resolution is 768*576 yes and that's with the black bars encoded with it. It's like the standalone resizes too far. If it would display just the 720*576 it'd be a lot better.

Oh I'm at my own computer now so here's the AviSynth script:

# -= AviSynth v2.5.7.0 script by FitCD v1.2.8 =-
AVISource(***)
LanczosResize(672,544,0,3,640,474)
AddBorders(24,16,24,16)
AssumeFPS(25.000, true)
#Trim(0,33134).FadeOut(150)

Source is 640*480 1:1 NTSC
Destination is DVD 720 PAL with 2 blocks overscan


edit: installed GSpot 2.60 beta00 and it says that the final VOB file is:
720*576
SAR 1.250 (5:4)
PAR 1.067
DAR 1.333 (4:3)

Now I'm really confused
I think I'll try it on somebody else's standalone, that might be the problem (hope not!)

[guns1inger]

Your script will add 16 to either side, and 24 to the top and bottom. The script is correct.

If your mpeg output from CCE is not 720 x 576 then you have encoded it incorrectly. Untick the "For DVD" box and encode again.

I would still like to see a g-spot screenshot of the mpeg you think is 768 x 576. I have a problem believing it is because it would not author without being re-encoded again. Did you author ? Or are you just playing back the raw mpeg on your standalone ?

[manono]

Hi-

When I check these things in Properties, mine doesn't say much of anything. OK, if he has that "For DVD" box checked, then how on Earth can it give him an MPV/M2V of 768x576?

edit: installed GSpot 2.60 beta00 and it says that the final VOB file is:
720*576

And when you play it on the computer, you see the black all around, right? Then it's all around on the standalone as well. I guess it's just lost in the overscan.

[PhantomSX]

I can't really take a picture of the tv screen because the black on black edge wouldn't be visible I think... And it's hard to see with the naked eye too, but as far as I can tell the black edge isn't there. I just don't see how the result of my first WinAvi convert foray (with no correction whatsoever) had the same result as my last attempt with the overscan correction and the 5 different programs I used... I think I'm going to try once more without the "for DVD" box checked in CCE.

Thanks for all the suggestions and brainstorming, but I'm still completely lost as far as solving this is concerned