Getting the correct resolution

[hedron]

I've been trying to compress this movie but I cannot seem to get Gordian Knot to use 720x480 resolution. The "output resolution" slider in the resolution tab refuses give me 720x480 regardless of how I fidget with the settings. How do I get the proper resolution?

I've tried it anyway and was successful in compressing the movie but the resulting resolution (720x400) just crops too much of the movie.

[Inspector.Gadget]

720x480 isn't the correct resolution for DVD content unless you're using a pixel aspect ratio other than 1:1. 720x400 will display uncropped 16:9 NTSC DVD content at the correct dimensions, albeit at a resolution smaller than the full 16:9 NTSC DVD frame at a 1:1 PAR.

[hedron]

errr... I've played the movie side by side with DVD and 720x480 is the correct resolution for the movie. That's what the media information in VLC player tells me. With 720x400 I can clearly see things all scrunched together. I'm too picky about this to let something like that slide.

In other words, the source video is 720x480 and I want the output video to be the same.

OK, never mind, I just changed the aspect ratio to 1.5 and everything's fine.

[Inspector.Gadget]

Then you're watching the movie in the wrong aspect ratio. Software players that respect the display flags in a DVD will (subject to alternate resizing decisions) show 4:3 NTSC content as 640x480 and 16:9 NTSC content as ~853x480. Yes, the stream is encoded as 720x480, but resizing to the correct aspect ratio is done by the player. Do a quick forum search for "anamorphic". This is well-known, extensively documented, and is one of a very few issues that are uncontested here on Doom9 or anywhere.

[hedron]

I don't really care if it's not the standard aspect ratio, as it's just a number, I just want to watch the movie not all scrunched together.

[manono]

If you really want to encode it at 720x480 (and like Inspector.Gadget, I don't believe you do), then just remove the crop and resize lines from the GKnot generated script:
# CROPPING
#crop(0,0,720,480)#or just delete this line

# SUBTITLES
#VobSub("FileName")

# RESIZING
#LanczosResize(720,528)#or just delete this line
Then after you've edited the script, go ahead and encode.
OK, never mind, I just changed the aspect ratio to 1.5 and everything's fine.
How many movies do you know that were created at 1.5:1?

[hedron]

How many movies do you know that were created at 1.5:1?

I really have no idea. I see what both of you are saying, but adjusting the aspect ratio to 1.5 worked. I watched both the DVD and my compressed video at the same time and they look identical. I'm happy with the results.

Thanks for both of your input.

[manono]

I really have no idea.
None.

At what resolution did you encode? Are you sure it's 720x480? If not positive, open the AVI in VDub(Mod) and go File->File Information. Is this supposed to be a 1.33:1 movie, sometimes called full-screen? If so, they're usually resized to 640x480 and they look a bit like the source 720x480, except at 720x480 people look a bit fat and round things like balls or the sun/moon look like slight ovals.

[Inspector.Gadget]

I just want to watch the movie not all scrunched together.

Post a VOB sample. Let's settle this. Unless someone really screwed things up somewhere along the line, you are mistaken about the movie being "all scrunched together".