DVR-MS to WMV - Archos Widescreen Aspect Ratio

[PhilHawks]

Hi,

I have an Archos AV700TV and am trying to convert my Media Centre recorded DVR-MS content to WMV to play on it. I have tried many options in DMC for WMV but all of them result in squeezed videos. All the original content is wide screen 16:9 at 720 x 576.

I finally tried using the Full Screen Video option as it states the output size will be "Same as input". The video size came out the same but this time its changed the aspect ratio from 16:9 to 5:4.

I can't win!

Here are the results from the last attempt.

USING
WMV - For Windows Media Server (Streaming)
Encoded Bit Rate:713Kbps
Output Size: Same as input
Frame Rate: 29fps

ORIGINAL - DVR-MS
Bit Rate: 159.43 Mbps
Video Size: 720 x 576
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Video Codec: GPL MPEG-1/2 Decoder

RESULT - WMV
Bit Rate: 691 Kbps
Video Size: 720 x 576
Aspect Ratio: 5:4
Video Codec: Windows Media Video 9

Is there any way I can solve this???

Thanks...

[DeskShare_-_Support]

Digital Media Converter 2.78 includes a widescreen profile for the Archos devices. To use this profile, click on Settings, then select "WMV - For Portable Devices". Now, click Properties, and from the top drop-down list select "Archos Wide Screen".

This will maintain the 16:9 aspect ratio.

[PhilHawks]

This does work from a "shape of the video" point of view and has got me out of the deep stuff for a short dead line this weekend.

Thanks!

However

This doesn't explain why when using "Same as input" does the converter change the aspect ratio.

Also by using the Portable Devices setting the quality is around half of that which my archos can handle.

Is there no way of keeping there 720x576 with 16:9 aspect ratio?

If not this will mean I have to re-encode my whole collection twice... Once for the Archos and once for streaming to the 37" LCD TV.

Not idea....

[DeskShare_-_Support]

"Same as input" produces a video with exactly the same resolution as the original. 720x576 is a ratio of 5:4. In a DVD player, the video is "stretched" to produce a widescreen format. The WMV file you create is not automatically stretched.

You can produce a widescreen WMV movie by using one of the Digital Media Converter profiles that lets you select a resolution, and choosing a resolution that has 16:9 aspect ratio, for instance 720x405.