Resize/Crop Q's relating to xvid

[NozzaC]

Sorry about the list of unstructures Qs here:

I've been experimenting with SimpleDivx (using the xvid codec) to backup DVDs to my PC , which is connected to my widescreen TV by VGA cable for viewing. I'm confused slightly be aspect ratio, sizing and cropping.

I've tried two DVDs: one states it's 16:9 and the other 2.35:1, both are PAL. I want to get these into an Xvid format that will view the best on my 16:9 LCD TV via VGA when played on VLC or similar.

When I use the default settings of SimpleDivx (auto resize and autocrop) the quality is good but the videos look wide and thin (not stretched at all) on the TV, with thick black bars and the top and bottom. This is quite different to how they appear on the TV when using the DVD player. This does not appear to be entirely down to cropping since when I compare the same frame from each source the DVD player is showing just as much width but is somehow taller at the same time. I'm guessing this is something to do with anamorphic widescreen but my brain is not up to working out how to sort through this?

How do I go about encoding these DVDs so they don't appear so wide and short? Obviously I could just use VLCs A/R or cropping/zoom functions to add height when viewing but then the width is being cropping and the picture expanded.

I do have the option in SimpleDivx to set any output resize and crop settings or pick from presets like so I guess one question is: what settings would suit these two DVD aspect ratios for display on a 16:9 TV?

Also, in this app there is an output preset call "PAL 16:9 Widescreen 640x352" but 640/1.77 is 362 - why the difference?

Is there any reason why a 16:9 DVD should not perfectly fit a 16:9 TV? And can I encode an xvid to make this happen?

Thanks

N

[CWR03]

I'm not familiar with this SimpleDivx program, so I can't answer some of your questions, though I suspect it's similar to AutoGK and in order to keep it "Simple" it's taking some control away from you.

As far as 640x352, vs. exactly 1.777:1 AR, it's MOD16, a compliance setting locked in to improve compatibility with various players. Keeping the height and width at a number evenly divided into 16 is common among encoders.

DVD's are very different - some with a 16:9 AR have black bars left and right to correct for overscan on TVs. 2.35:1 DVD's aren't all the same either - I've encoded two movies back-to-back released about the same time and from the same studio that required different cropping. Some are just oddball - a few Disney releases have been 1.66:1.

I'd suggest moving to an app offered and supported on this site that allows you more control over output.