Issues after converting to DVD?

I recently picked up a movie file in an AVI format (1920 x1080) that I needed to convert over to a DVD format so I could burn it onto a disc
I went ahead and used Handbrake to get the job done, but—for some reason—the aspect ratio seems totally off. The image looks squashed vertically; it’s at the point where characters are losing the tops of their heads, and the subtitles are stuck right at the bottom on a black bar, making the second line of text nearly impossible to read on a TV screen because it gets cut in half
I've attached a few screenshots here so you can see exactly what I'm dealing with
Does anyone happen to know what might be causing this? I'm just trying to figure out how to maintain the original video dimensions during the conversion process so everything looks normal again

(the green frame indicates it's an ".avi", which means it's the original)


I have no idea how you 'managed' to mess it up like that...

Try using that same program (Handbrake) to cut out a small clip from the movie—maybe 15 seconds (basically, trim everything except those 15 seconds). Save it... then use that tiny clip to test out different conversion and saving settings.

In the software, try going to "File" > "Options" > "Black bars" and switching (toggling) "Delete" to "Keep" (or vice versa)...

coppersailor28 said:I’m honestly not sure how you managed to pull that off...

Maybe try using that same software (Handbrake) to just grab a tiny snippet from the movie—say, about 15 seconds (basically, just trim away everything except those 15 seconds) and save it. Then, you can play around with all the different conversion and saving settings on that little clip without worrying about wasting time.

It looks like the video was cropped, since the subtitles—which seem to be burned into the video itself—are stuck in that old NTSC format, unless the DVD player is handling them.

I haven't personally messed around with that specific program, but you make a great point; it really is best to start with a quick little clip so you can figure out how the export settings actually work and see exactly how the cropping behaves! 🙂

That email and detective stuff sounds like one intense thriller, I think I'll have to check that one out 😂—where on earth did you find it? 😁

swiftowl7 said:It’s a cropped video. You can tell because the subtitles—assuming they were burned into the export—are set to PAL format. Unless the DVD is handling the subtitle overlay itself...

Looks cropped to me too. The aspect ratio hasn't changed (my bad on that one—I should have drawn the green box all the way up to where that bottom black bar starts)...

Siri said:Between Emil and those detectives, sounds like quite the thriller...

Emil's some kind of hardened criminal. If he weren't, we wouldn't need an entire squad of detectives.
Personally, I'd rather just play dumb. Pretend I don't know anything and stay out of it.

(Besides, there's no sign of @Magistru anymore. Let's hope it isn't because of Emil, or @Magistar and the detectives will be next...)