Widescrene AVI => VCD HELP!!!!!

I have wasted probobly over 100 hours trying to figure out how to convert a widescrene avi that is lacking the top and bottom black bars, into a compliant vcd, with the correct aspect ratio. I have been using TMPGENC, and the only way that the ratio comes out correctly, is if I create an incompliant vcd. Can someone who has sucsessfully completed this project, or knows how to add black bars, or something, please tell me what they did?

THanx

The only compliant output aspect ratio for VCD/SVCD is 4:3.

What you need to do is figure out which widescreen aspect ratio the AVI is, either 2.35:1 or 16:9. Then choose the corresponding source aspect ratio in TMPGEnc, and select "Full screen preserve aspect ratio". Then set the ouput aspect ratio to 4:3, and resolution to 352x240 (or 480x480 for SVCD). TMPGEnc should letterbox it, and preserve the widescreen.

Thank you!!!! YOu are the first person to offer me correct advice. The only other question tht remains is how do you tell weather the avi is 16:9 or 2.11:1? Thank you


SKid

Just divide horizontal resolution by vertical resolution. Note that 16:9 is equivalent to approx. 1.77:1.

As long as you choose 1:1 VGA as your source and 4/3 as output you don't have to worry about the aspect of the original...TMPGEnc will add the black border for you.

Kineera, I have to partially disagree with you. First of all, AVIs (DivXs included of course) are always 1:1 aspect ratio. It doesn't matter if the movie frame is 1,33:1 or 1,78:1 or 2,35:1. It's the pixel aspect ratio that counts and that's what TMPG asks for in "Source Aspect Ratio".

So, when transcoding an AVI to MPEG you set the "Source Aspect Ratio" to 1:1 and... here's the bit we disagree. You can have "anamorphic" or "16:9 enhanced" (S)VCD if you like. You just set TMPG's "Video Aspect Ratio" to 16:9 and it will take care of all the rest, like how thick black bars should be added.

Trouble is that your stand-alone DVD won't recognize it as "anamorphic" and will play it as if it was 4:3, so it will appear horizontally squashed. That's where you press the "Wide" button on your TV and everything becomes normal. PCs with decent video players are able to adapt any AVI/MPEG movie frame to 4:3 (PC screen) by using resizing technics, much as DVD players do for DVDs but they can't do the same for (S)VCDs. That's why you have to "tell" your TV what frame the (S)VCD is.

Why would one want to do this? If you have a widescreen TV you get perfect widescreen video! All my (S)VCDs are encoded this way and it's definately the way to go. If you have a modern 4:3 TV you can switch it to "wide" mode and the TV will add black bars up and down for you. Not so useful, as you may get higher quality than when encoding black bars into the video itself, but you need way more bitrate . If you have an old TV with no "wide" mode don't do it, there's no way of getting correct frame at playback.

So to recap: If you plan on watching the (S)VCD on a widescreen TV or a alternation between widescreen TVs and modern normal TVs, choose "Source Aspect Ratio 1:1" and "Video Aspect Ratio 16:9". If you plan on watching the (S)VCD solely on normal TVs, choose "Source Aspect Ratio 1:1" and "Video Aspect Ratio 4:3". "Video Arrange Method" should be "Full Screen (Keep Aspect Ratio)" in both cases so that TMPG will take good care of letterboxing.

Hope the above are clear and of help!
Cheers

Just so we're clear, what I was saying is that the only resolution allowed in the SVCD standard is 4:3.

Just as a side note, it's a pity that TMPGEnc's "Source Aspect Ratio" option is so badly misnamed...pixelform is a very different concept from aspect ratio, and this seems to have caused un-ending confusion (myself included, apparently, although I suspect my method will also produce the desired output, albeit with more work).

I am using resize in VirtualDub and frameserve it into TMPGEnc and 1:1 and 4:3 aspect ratio, because i don't know anytime what TMPGenc will do with aspect ratio. Sometimes i got shrink videos... So since that time i use VirtualDub resize.

Try this Bitrate Calculator (also calculates AVItoMPG resize...)

http://www.tomzavodny.cz/projekty_en.php?page=program_avivcdbitcalc

kinneera: I think that aspect ratio have nothing to do with resolution. If you say that only allowed resolution is 4:3, it doesnt make any sense. Resolution doesnt depend from aspect ratio and vice versa.

I tried to figure out TMPGenc options and i think that SupaCoopa made most perfect explain so far. I read lot of posts about this anamorphic widescreen vcd-thing, and there was lot of misunderstanding. Starting point is, that with VCD or SVCD we have allways same standard resolution (like example 352x288 in PAL VCD). It cant be changed if we want different aspect ratio. Only thing we have to change is "Video"-settings "Aspect ratio"-field. TMPGEnc does everything for us after that (like SupaCoopa said).

Only thing i was wondered, that TMPGEnc puts aspect ratio information to MPEG (i think there is place to aspect ratio in MPEG1/2-frame). If it is there, why DVD or VCD players wouldnt use it. Many posts says that with anamorphic widescreen vcd or svcd you have to put tv in 16:9-mode manually. All software players (BSPlayer, windvd, powerdvd) i tried, shows VCD automatically in right aspect ratio at computer screen. And if i want watch this kind of VCD with tv-output videocard and 16:9 tv, i can press "Aspect ratio->" "Original" in BSPlayer.