Final Aspect ratio is way off (IE-720x306)

[djdafreund]

Original movie files (tried this with 3 different movies and get the same.) are 720x480, but the output always seems to be at or around 720x304.

I am using the default settings, but i did try to manual settings in Ctrl-F8. Didn't seem to effect anything though. (IE-Cropping 0, manual 16x9)

What else can i try that would cause this? I also uninstalled Xvid codec, and downloaded (in case not current) newest xvid and reinstalled again, but didn't effect anything.

Always use Zoomplayer, and the source shows 720x480 (normal), but the finished video size is 720x306 (on Blade Trinity), and 720x304 (for National Treasures.)

Thanx for any help. It is very appreciated.

[manono]

Hi and welcome to the forum-

You don't want it at 720x480. Open one of the Vob files in DGIndex and you'll see that the video is stretched. That's because DVDs are either 4:3 or 16:9, and get resized by the DVD player so things look "normal" again. Ordinarily AVIs are already resized to 1:1. Don't your 720x304 AVIs look "normal"? Believe me, that wouldn't be the case if it were kept at 720x480. Here, read this:

http://www.doom9.org/aspectratios.htm

Now, if you want to keep it at 720x480 and let your player do the resizing, that's something else entirely, but you didn't mention anything about that. If the Vob when played in Zoom Player looks "normal", that's because Zoom Player is doing the resizing, based on the DAR (Display Aspect Ratio, either 4:3 or 16:9) information contained within the Vob.

[jggimi]

DVDs have fixed resolutions -- e.g., NTSC are 720x40 -- but one of two aspect ratios: 4:3, or 16:9, which match the two possible shapes of television sets.

PCs have monitors with square pixels. A PC with a standard 4:3 monitor therefore uses pixel heights and pixel widths that fit this 4:3 ratio: 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, etc.

When a DVD is converted to an .avi, it is resized to use square pixels.

But films, of course, often have aspect ratios that are different than 4:3 (1.33:1) or 16:9 (1.78:1). Using your examples, Blade Trinity and National Treasure both have an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. These films have letterboxing to fit the 2.35:1 image into a 1.78:1 (or even -- it happens -- a 1.33:1) frame.

AGK crops the letterboxing out. It then resizes to square pixels. Slight differences in letterboxing will produce differences in end resolution, and the codecs and colorspaces used have specific resolution restrictions as well. So the aspect error, if any, will be small.

720x306 in square pixels is 2.353:1. 720x304 is 2.368:1. Both very close to 2.35:1.

[djdafreund]

-_+=BRAIN OVERLOAD:CAUTION=+_-

LOL. IOk, i'm kinda understanding. I read the post link last night that was given above, but was still confused and didn't know enough to attribute that being some answer to my questions, and was confused about the following;

I will be playing the files back using XBMC (xbox media center), but using original (non stretched setting/mode), and noticed the picture was a little blurrier, due to a now lower resolution, so i recoded the file again but using 960 res. instead of 720, and it looked a lot sharper and close to the original DVD copy.

So i'm kind of understanding by both responses that in a conversion from MPG to avi, the pixel size/res., this is somewhat normal for the end result to be a smaller number vertical in resolution?

I'm trying to word this as best as i can for how it's running through my head, so i'm hoping my thoughts/questions are coming through correctly and making some sense.

I'm using both DVD (ripped files directly playing on XBMC, using non-stretched mode, looking normal, or using zoomplayer with 'Source,or Derived Mode') and then playing back the finished AGK done files, using the same non-stretched mode, and the finished files are slightly more smaller in height then the original DVD files, and the resolution isn't as sharp unless i manually bump it up to like around 960 vs. 720. So what would i/how would i be able to best keep things the same in ratio's to the original's since my player used will be in original non-streched modes, so they match?

I'm sorry this might be common sense to the more educated here, and really appreciate the quick responses/help here, it is very appreciated by me. Believe me, i love helping myself to people when i can on other topics.

I'm just trying to fully understand that based on this above info, if there's something i need to do in the settings to offset something, so the end results are matched.(IE- Ratio of AGK file is the same height as original file, and as well as looks as sharp in detail as original.) I'm using 100% for now for testing to find a matching quality res. , then i'll tweak % to taste for file size/quality level. As right now i'm noticing (again, both viewing using source) the AGK files aren't as clean/sharp as well as same height, unless i manually use a higher res. then original (but height is still not matching though.)

Thanks again so much for helping me understand here, and helping correct my finished end results i'm wanting.

EDIT- Actually one thing i did just notice is (after testing more) is when using (in ZP) when using 'Derived(Recommended)', the height actually does match the same as AGK finished file, and 'Source' mode the DVD files are heigher, but also looked a little streched slightly. So i guess the height is correct if comparing using ('Derived') mode after all.
So i'm kind of partially answering some of my question that in the process , AGK (by way of natural workings) will loose quality because of formats, and I would need to offset this by choosing a higher resolution (IE- 960) so i can keep a closer match of quality to the original. Since as it sets now, it only looks closer in detail to the original if i manually use a higher res. setting (960 or something instead of 720) right now.

[manono]

480 x (16/9) = 853.33. The closest acceptable horizontal resolutions to that are either 848 or 864 (both of which AutoGK supports). If there are some black bars on the sides of the DVD, then 848 might be the better choice. So, if you want to resize your AVI as closely as possible to the way it gets resized as a DVD, then choose one of those 2. It will never look quite as good as the original DVD, as MPEG-4 is a lossy compression, and there's always some slight degradation of quality when reencoding. It's also possible, I suppose, that the scaling of your player isn't as good as it should be, and also adds to the "blur".

...'Source' mode the DVD files are heigher, but also looked a little stretched slightly.

Only now you noticed that? It should have been fairly obvious from the beginning that in Source Mode everyone is tall and skinny. Go find something that's supposed to be round (like a ball or moon), and you'll see that it's an obvious oval.

[djdafreund]

I only noticed it now as i've never used, or have had a use to use Source mode, and was only using it now for testing. I never watch movies on my computer, only my xbox or dvd machine hooked up to my 32inch HDTV.

Well, that's a good enough explanation for me on this stuff now. I'm kinda understanding it. I'll give that a shot. Thanks again guys for the support. I appreciate it. And such quickness, that's a nice thing. Have a great week!!