how do i preserve aspect ratio when converting?

[Erock]

I am a newb with alot of this stuff, have read thru numerous forum posts and guides on this site.. but havent run across any specifics on a problem I am having.

I dowloaded a streaming .wmv file and want to convert it to mpeg2 for burning to svcd format. The original media file is in 'wide screen' fomat (black bars on the top and bottom of the screen).

When I convert it directly to mpeg2 using tmpgenc, the picture becomes distorted. It fills the screen without hte black spacers.. so the image is stretched vertically.

There appear to be some 'source image' tools in tmpgenc for different ratios, but they all seem to result in the same distored image..

Can anyone offer some advice on how to preserve the aspect ratio of the original? or point me to a newb guide that would answer this question?

fwiw, the streaming media file is also available in quicktime and real player formats.. would either of those formats be more useful?

Thanks in advance.

E

[MOVIEGEEK]

In TMPGEnc load file>settings or expert>advanced>video arrange method>Full Screen(keep aspect ratio)

Good Luck