Fixed height in AGK?

[HookedOnTV]

I'm fairly new to xvid encoding and have spent the last few weeks trying a number of different settings in GK and AGK. I've done a bunch of searching and have read quite a few of the threads.

My question has to do with the lack of ability to set a fixed height in addition to the fixed width in AGK. I am trying to encode dvd source 720x480 but it always comes out with the vertical resolution below this. I've been reading the information on the DAR/PAR stuff and I kinda get the jist of it, but in practice what I get with these encodings are ones that fill the screen vertically where the dvd source is letterboxed. So it is stretched vertically. (obtw I'm doing pc playback). If I use GK and set my size to 720x480 the resulting encode looks the same aspect wise as the source.

So, am I doing something wrong? Is the expected playback not a PC (from the DAR/PAR discussions it sounds like a stb player would add the letterbox and maintain the correct ar)? Could a "Fixed Height" option be added to AGK?

Thanks for your time,
Travis

[unskinnyboy]

720X480 is uncropped NTSC DVD framesize -with- the black bars.:rolleyes:

AutoGK will crop the letterboxing and so ofcourse the vertical will reduce from 480. There is a way to do disable cropping, but first tell me why you like black bars so much? :rolleyes:

[HookedOnTV]

Originally posted by unskinnyboy
720X480 is uncropped NTSC DVD framesize -with- the black bars.:rolleyes:

AutoGK will crop the letterboxing and so ofcourse the vertical will reduce from 480. There is a way to do disable cropping, but first tell me why you like black bars so much? :rolleyes:

I want to maintain the correct AR when playing back the movie. When AGK crops the black bars the playback has the video stretched vertically to fill the screen. This is not correct. If I encode it 720x480 in GK I can play back the vob and avi versions and they will look exactly the same ar wise.

[unskinnyboy]

Which player?

[manono]

Hi-

This stretching vertically sounds like a playback issue to me. What are you using to play your Vobs and AVIs?

When you make your 720x480 AVIs, are you using the player to resize them properly, or are you playing them at 720x480? The reason I ask is this statement:

I want to maintain the correct AR when playing back the movie.

Sure, don't we all? But 720x480 is not correct AR. See if this helps explain it:

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

[HookedOnTV]

Doh! I went and did it. I wasn't going to be another newbie polluting the forum. Turned on the "advanced" in zoomplayer and found an aspect ratio tab that was defaulted to "derived". Switched to "source" and everything looks like it should.:o