Need help getting rid of black bars on MP4 file

[Ch7lie]

Hi,

I can't work out why I keep getting a black border round DVD clips I make for my iPhone (please forgive me if I am making a basic error - I am quite new to this). Here is what I have been doing:

I am using DVD Shrink to get a clip from my chosen DVD (the DVD is NTSC, aspect 4:3 & region free) - (I have been following the 'how to cut out clips from DVD's & convert to AVI, MP4 using free software' guide from the VideoHelp website to do this). - I have made no adjustments to the settings on DVD shrink, but looking round the program, can't see that any options regarding this anyway.

Once I backed up the clip I wanted to my hard drive, I then used 'Super' to convert the VOB file to an iPod/iphone MP4 file, I used the following settings on 'Super' to do this:

Output Container : iPod/iPhone
Output video codec: H264/AVC
Output audio codec: AAC LC
Video scale size: 640:480
Aspect: 4:3
Bitrate: 1440 kbps
Options: Hi Quality, Stretch it (have tried this both on & off with no difference), 48k audio, H264 profile, - ('crop/pad' option is disabled so can't check to see if this would make any difference)
Frame/sec: 29:97 fps

I get a suitable quality video clip, the sound is in sync, and it plays on my iPhone no probs - but I can't work out why it has black bars on both the left and right hand sides of the frame and at the top and bottom too. Ideally I would like no black bars, but if I can get rid of the left and right hand side ones at the very least- that would be ok for me.

(I have tried DVD fab - DVD to mobile to put the entire DVD on my iPhone, and it has filled the screen no probs, but I just want a small clip from the DVD, which is why I am trying to use DVD Shrink & 'Super' instead). I am starting to wonder if I am using the wrong program(s) to do this (although I have used Super in the past for converting .swf files to my iPhone & it was fine & when DVD Shrink was backing up my clip, the preview screen only showed black bars at the top & bottom & not the sides!)

Many thanks in advance.

[Baldrick]

Convert with handbrake instead.

[Ch7lie]

Hi Baldrick,

I have now downloaded 'Handbrake' and will give it a try instead.

(Many thanks for your swift reply)

Cheers!