Aspect ratio and Source Aspect Ratio problems

[bartjuh]

I try to convert several divx movies to mpeg 2, they have formats like 720x336. So I think you may call them widescreen movies...

When I change the setting like I want them I change the setting into Mpeg-2, and than I use the aspect ratio 16:9. I think I have to use that one, because I want to play the movie on my tv, a widescreen-tv...

Than at the source aspect ratio, there I absolutely have no clue... what should I use...
4:3 625 line (Pal): to let it fit on a tv
16:9 625 line (Pal): ???
4:3 display: rare DVDs, that are actually NTSC and 4:3
16:9 display: used for DVD that is formatted 16:9

Are the aspect ratio and the source aspect ratio correct chosen..?

(the info comes from http://www.vcdhelp.com/tmpgencexplained.htm )

[Truman]

1:1 VGA: Is used when your source was encoded for your computer(streaming video and things of that nature)
http://forum.vcdhelp.com/search.php

[bartjuh]

1:1 VGA: Is used when your source was encoded for your computer(streaming video and things of that nature)
http://forum.vcdhelp.com/search.php

yep, I know that 1:1 VGA is used to let the movie play on a computer, but I want to have it played on a TV...

[Truman]

Source aspect ratio is 1:1
Destination aspect ratio depends on your TV, although I recommend to use always 4:3 and use the zoom function of the TV set.

[bartjuh]

It looks absolutely ridicules ;
I did what you said... aspect ratio of 4:3 and source aspect ratio 1:1.
I used a video arrange method of Full Screen (keep aspect ratio)

On this way, a video that has been inserted changes into a video that is not widescreen any more... For example, I inserted a movie with the size of 640x304, at 25fps. I created a SVCD of it with the apect ratio of 4:3 and the source aspect ratio 1:1. and the already mentioned arrange method.... I start exporting the video, and the result is a video that changes into a video of 480x576, and it is not at widescreen format anymore... everything is a lot bigger. For example, in the movie there is a perfect circle...completely round, after converting it, the circle is stretched vertical, and I get an egg (on the longest distance in vertical position...), this doesn't happen if I use the source aspect ratio and the apsect ratio of 1:1 and the video arrange method of Full screen (keep aspect ratio)....

What have I done wrong???

[oberkfell]

I have a crappy 4:3 tv.

If my source (DVD) was 16:9 - For video stream setting I choose aspect ratio 4:3.

Under advance I choose video source setting 16:9.

When I capture from my TV card say: MPEG2 @ 720x480

I choose aspect ratio 4:3.
I choose video source as 4:3 525 NTSC 720x480

These settings increase the height just a smidge, but when they play on my friends 16:9 widescreen tv they look perfect.

I know your settings are in PAL, but maybe this will help.

[kinneera]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that you should set your source aspect ratio to 16:9, not 1:1. Then, when you choose 4:3 and fullscreen preserve aspect ratio, TMPGEnc should automatically letterbox it for you. You'll then have to zoom to get rid of the letterboxing on a widescreen TV.

[Truman]

bartjuh, do you play the svcd with a standalone player or just with a software player? Of course you end with a 480x576 (2/3 D1) MPEG, is is the standard SVCD PAL resolution. A TV will stretch it horizontally to full screen. So I echo myself, DivX source aspect ratio is 1:1.

[kinneera]

First, let me be clear that I respect Truman's opinion, but I am going to have to continue to respectfully disagree, and here's why:

A source aspect ratio of 1:1 has already failed for the author of the thread, and the reason to me is not a mystery, given that he described the eggheads syndrome. Basically, he has a source with a vertical resolution of 336, so if you tell TMPGEnc the source is 1:1, it is going to letterbox it incorrectly, if at all, because it thinks the input is as wide as it is tall, which clearly is not the case. An anamorphic widescreen DVD is coming from DVD2AVI is exactly the same scenario, but you wouldn't tell it 1:1 for that source would you? The pixelform for a Divx is 1:1, but that is not the same as the aspect ratio.

So since 1:1 didn't work, just try 16:9. If that doesn't work either, everyone can go back to the drawing board. Fair enough?

[Truman]

Sure. Maybe I miss something. At the moment I think, you (I) can not add a DAR flag to an AVI, as I do it with MPEG. Let's say, I have a DVD 16:9 encoded, res 720x480. Then the aspect ratio is 16:9, not (720 /480=) 1.5:1. Please correct me, but I think AVI aspect ratio of a 720x336 frame is simply 1:2.1428 and I do not know a way to change it.

[kinneera]

An interesting point...but given that the frameservers (DVD2AVI, AviSynth, etc...) are really just faking an AVI, then they aren't providing any information about the DAR from the source MPEG either, unless I'm missing something? So it would seem even more odd that we choose 16:9 source for DVD rips, even though the encoder is getting a file whose aspect ratio is 1.5:1 if the resolution is literally interpreted, yes? In my experience, the real key to success is always to match what the aspect ratio of the source video is supposed to be...

Of course, TMPGEnc does have a 2.11:1 source aspect ratio option...so if one were to interpret the resolution literally, it would seem to me that is the one you would want to choose, if anything.