Hi all, I've got a xvid that was ripped from DVD by someone else. On playback, the aspect rastio is screwed up - squeezed at the sides, almost square. Is this due to a ripping error - converting 16:9 to 4:3 for example, or could it be a playback problem - codec, the fact that this is on an LCD w/ 1280x1024 native, or something else I haven't thought of? If it's just the way it was ripped, is there a way to recode it with the proper aspect ratio without any further loss? TIA...
Depending on what codec you use for playback -- XviD or FFDSHOW -- you normally can tweak the playback settings to show the video correctly. In FFDSHOW settings, there's a separate selection to adjust the aspect ratio.
Try using a media player that supports aspect ratio correction. The DivX player is the easiest to use in this regard. Just input the right "custom" aspect ratio BEFORE you go to full screen and it should work fine. To determine the right aspect ratio use imdb.com or just eyeball the results. Occasionally this method doesn't work because the ripper included black spaces around the movie -- if this is the case then eyeball and trial and error with different aspect ratios may be the only way. I know the Zoom player also can correct aspect ratio but the custom input section is a bit harder to find, and I think a few other less known players can also do the job -- certainly far preferable to recoding the movie.
Well, I was planning to burn the thing to SVCD so using a player to correct the aspect ratio won't really work for me. I need some way to re-encode it that can change the AR. Thanks anyway though, at least I can watch it now without squinting.
