Encoding Anamorphic SVCD

[Leo Vildosola]

Here's my scenario:

• Shot video using my DV camcorder's 16:9 mode. This results in a pseudo-anamorphic video, as the image is stretched vertically.
• Captured, edited, and rendered the video as Widescreen NTSC DV format using Vegas Video 3.
• Encoded the resulting AVI to MPEG2 (SVCD) format using TMPGEnc 2.5 trying out multiple templates and custom configurations.
• Burned CD-RW using Ulead DVD MovieFactory.

What I want to accomplish is to encode the video so as to allow the DVD player to perform the letterboxing, instead of having to letterbox the image prior to encoding or during encoding. That way when I watch the video in a 16:9 television I will get all the resolution my DV camcorder recorded. And when I watch the video in a 4:3 television the DVD player will simply letterbox the source.

The problem that I am having is I believe in the encoding process. I don't seem to get the right recipe to produce the MPEG2 video ecoded correctly. Does anyone have a template that works for this purpose? I have searched and searched to no avail. I have also tried endlessly different configurations.

Is there a place that has a manual or similar documentation on TMPGEnc? I have only found bits and pieces.

Any help in the right direction will be very much appreciated.

[Baldrick]

Most standalone dvd players don't support anamorphic SVCDs so it won't work on a 4:3 with no 16:9 mode, the image will be squeezed.

[Leo Vildosola]

I was afraid of that. I guess I'm stuck doing the letterboxing myself and live with the resolution drop in 16:9 televisions. Thank you for the quick response.

[reinerg]

My understanding is that all consumer DV cams just crop the image when they are in 16:9 record mode. The CCDs are 4:3. In other words there in no "real" loss of resolution. I think some of the lines are doubled in order to vertically stretch the image (as you noted, it was a pseudo-anamorphic video). In theory one could just remove the doubled lines. Unfortunately I don't know how to do this.

[kmorger]

There are real "anamorphic" lenses for consumer (TRV-900, etc.) camcorders. They are a little pricey, and if you put them on wrong it has really strange results, but they are out there...

I too was hoping DVD players would handle anamorphic SVCD. I would ASSUME that miniDVD would be OK for anamorphic, but I wouldn't bet a dime on it.

Letterboxing is lame (but it beats the hell outa cropping the sides!)