How to patch 352x480 MPEG-2 to 720x480

[moxiecat]

I have MPEG-2 files that are 352x480 (recorded by a Mini DVD camcorder). Naturally, they will not play nice when imported into Adobe DVD Encore.

So I tried to use DVD Patcher to patch the headers (both first and entire file) to 720x480. I've done this before to patch 704x480 files, with great success.

This time, no dice. The files come into Encore with the 352x480 image squished on the left, and a big green box filling the right half of the screen. There must be some parameter I'm missing but there's nothing else in DVD Patcher that I can change. The file is set to 4:3. Other than the pixel dimensions and bit rate, there's nothing else.

The thing that DOES work is to let Womble DVD Wizard resave the MPEG-2 as a 720x480 image, but that takes FOREVER. An hour just for a 5-minute test file, so that is not doable because I have tons of these discs to process. (I believe Womble is completely rewriting it.) But when the rewritten file then comes into Encore, it IS read as 720x480 and the image fills the screen correctly.

Also, it's worth noting that when I import the original 352x480 file into Womble, it looks "squished" (tall and skinny) in the file library, but when it's being used, it displays full screen in the input and output windows. So Womble does resize the 352x480 file when it interprets it for playback.

Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong? I think I'm likely missing something. I was under the impression that DVD Patcher could patch just about anything into any size! Thanks.

[moxiecat]

Never mind! I should have gone a little further before posting. For those who have this problem in the future...here's what to do.

Patch the 352x480 file in DVD Patcher to 720x480. Bring it into Encore. IGNORE what it looks like--the green bar WILL run down the screen. As long as Encore authors your DVD without transcoding the MPEG-2, things are OK. Then patch back the VOBs to 352x480 before burning, and you should be fine.

I did this and it worked. The video played fine in PowerDVD when I checked out the video_ts folder.