You listed the three common aspect ratios as 16:9 and 2.3:1. Did you mean 1.85:1 and 2.35:1?
Also, you said it is not worth the time to try and convert 2.3:1 to SVCD because of quality issues. I was wondering why having larger black bars would cause a drop in quality.
I mean 16:9 and 2.3:1 There are really only 2 standards being 4:3 and 16:9. You can convert these to anything you like but thats all there is. DVD’s with 2.3:1 (which can be anywhere from 2.1:1 to 2.66:1) are really 16:9 but with added black bars top and bottom that are actual part of the picture. But when people bach these up to DivX(AVI) they remove the black bars as they can take up unnecessary bits and would make the files stight larger.
Sorry, but I have never said not to convert 2.3:1 movies to SVCD. However, I have said not to convert them to fullscreen 4:3 as you will loose to much quality. But then again thats only my opinion, you can do what ever you like 
Ok, I just went through your guide w/ the latest version of dvd2svcd. Here are some questions I have after going through it:
I didn’t have the option for sharpen. You said to set it at .4, but it was not available. Any ideas on that?
My standalone dvd player can’t play svcds w/ menus for whatever reason. I opted to leave imdb info on. Does that present itself as a menu or a chapter? IE is the svcd going to play.
You said that multipass vbr 3 was the best. Do you mean that it is the best in quality/speed ratio? I would think that vbr 4 would be better.
Why not always add the script resize info? If a movie is 1.85:1 and 16:9 is selected, will dvd2svcd add the correct borders or will it use border and size info for 1.78:1?
Is there a noticeable difference between 48khz and 44.1khz?
You mentioned adding chapters in two different sections (dvd2svcd and burning). I assume that you can do one or the other, but not both? IE, if I chose to add chapters every four minutes apart in dvd2svcd, then i would not add chapters in vcdeasy as well.
Lastly, the audio tab had different audio options. The two I remember were stereo and MPEG 5.1. Is there any time I can select MPEG 5.1 to get DD 5.1 output from a receiver? Some of the XVids I’ve seen have AC3 audio.
Thanks,
Mears
The latest version of DVD2SVCD does not have that option, just ignore it. I will update the Tute.
The IMDB data is stored as Text file in one of the folders. It will not appear as a chapter or menu. You can only access it via a PC.
Quality. The more passes, the slower the overall encoding.
DVD2SVCD has problems determining the correct size of many AVI’s, I manually always calculate the corredt aspect ratio.
Yes, 48khz has a cleaner sound than 44.1khz as far as I’m concerned.
You are correct
MPEG 5.1 sound is NOT dd 5.1. Very few indead DVD Players will play MPEG 5.1. Its a dead duck, stick to 2ch. SVCD’s do not support AC3 inclusion.
Oh, I just came across another thing. This last divx I was converting, had an option to do anamorphic(no borders added, 16:9). I don’t currently have a widescreen tv, but I was wondering if this option is equivelant to anamorphic dvds and if so, why not use that instead of the 16:9 borders added?
Proper anamorphic should always be used to encode, and let the player (s/w or dvd for anamorphic svcd’s - yes, they can be made!). Putting black pixels as a mask in ridiculous.
Most if not all Divx PC players know how to handle the anamorphic flag, so will correct the aspect at playtime.
Originally posted by mears
Oh, I just came across another thing. This last divx I was converting, had an option to do anamorphic(no borders added, 16:9). I don’t currently have a widescreen tv, but I was wondering if this option is equivelant to anamorphic dvds and if so, why not use that instead of the 16:9 borders added?
Most DVD Players cannot handle anamorphic SVCD’s and result in distorted pictures on playback into a std 4:3 TV.
But no problems, if your TV can handle it go for, but I would burn to a CDRW first to save a coaster.