Confused about handbrake picture settings (for converting VOB --> MP4)

[VideoThat]

I have ripped some of my DVD's such that I know have raw VOB files and want to use handbrake to convert them to MP4.

After I've done the conversion I'm going to delete the VOB files - they are too big! So I want to create MP4 files that are fairly flexible - not targeted at a specific device.

From reading the handbrake docs it appears that I should use "Anamorphic: Loose" option and allow handbrake to select a picture size that is modulus 16.

But, when I do that it shows:
source: 720 x 480
width: 720 height: 432.

Yikes - it's going to chop, crop, or squish off 48 pixels? If it is mod 16 there is no need to do that - it should pick 478 for the height and just crop the bottom 2 pixels.

My cropping option is set to automatic, but it shows a crop of 2 at the bottom and 22 for left and right. Why is it cropping left and right at all if the target width is the same as the source width! I expected to see a bottom crop of 48 and zero for all the rest.

And finally, I don't understand what the "display size: 858x512" is. Should I just ignore that?

I'm running the Windows version of handbrake 0.9.6 (the current version).

Thanks for any suggestions.

[VideoThat]

I did the conversion as above, then checked the results using VLC, which reports that my video stream is 720 x 512!

I did the same check on the original and it reports a resolution of 720 x 480 (as expected).

So, I'm not sure where the 512 came from, and even if I did I don't think it is a suitable resolution.

At this point I think I should change my question to "what should I be using instead of handbrake" (I'm willing to spend money)?

[Hoser Rob]

I've used handbrake a lot of times to rip dvd to HDd and always just left the anamorphic settings as default, and I've never had any problems. The output plays fine in SMPlayer or VLC. How does your output work?

[hech54]

Open the VIDEO_TS folder....not an individual VOB file.

[VideoThat]

@Hoser Rob
Yes, it plays fine, and it looks fine upon quick inspection, but I'm planning to convert a bunch of DVD's so I want to get my settings ~right.

Adding 32 pixels to the height simply doesn't make sense so I don't want to do that for all my videos. Even worse, though, I feel that I don't understand the interface even though it looks fairly simple at first glance.

I've read the official documentation and they don't say anything about these issues.

@heck54
Yes, in handbrake I select the whole folder, not the individual VOB files. And I seem to be able to get it to convert the parts I want without trouble - i.e. I have no trouble selecting the right titles and audio tracks.

[Hoser Rob]

Did you read the Anamophic Guide in the handbrake docs? I wouldn't worry about it too much. Compared to the advanced h.264 options ... which you need to really get the quality it's capable of ... that's nothing. I just use the default anamorphic setting and keep the same h*w as the source.

If you want the output "fairly flexible - not targeted at a specific device", realize that there are levels involved in those presets. If you want high quality on a TV you'll need to use the high preset, at least, because you can't get DCT 8*8 transform without it. Which is essential for good quality, and that's before you start tweaking advanced settings.

But then high profile h.264 won't play on a mobile.

In fact, an h.264 video made in handbrake's default standard format (no 8*8 DCT) is inferior to an xvid .avi video made with good software by someone who understands the settings.

[VideoThat]

Funny that you should mention the 'anamorphic guide' - I was just reading that and it certainly helps.

Regarding the trade-off between regular and HP h264, I think I'll go for HP. Yes, I want my videos to play on mobile, but I don't mind if it only plays on the latest devices

[edDV]

If you don't want to crop off the letterbox, zero out custom crop settings and encode 720x480 (both mod 16). If you want square pixels use 848x480 (mod 16) for 16:9 or 640x480 for 4:3.