DVD Ripper to MKV not retaining 16:9 Settings

[UserMyName]

Hello,

I have tested on 9.2.4.2, beta 9.2.4.3, and 9.2.4.4

when ripping DVD ISO's to MKV the 16:9 aspect ratio doesn't stay. it changes to 3:2.

when ripping DVD ISO to MKV pass-through the final file created displays correct 16:9 aspect ratio.

when ripping to .MP4 it outputs correctly.
when converting the correct .MP4 output to MKV the issue comes back.

i have tried choosing EDIT, then setting original and 16:9... then checking the box to keep aspect ratio under crop.

i also disabled auto crop under common settings.

i found a similar post from a while ago, but nothing current.

http://forum.dvdfab.cn/showthread.php?t=11914&highlight=720x480+mkv

thanks in advance.

[signals]

Please list a couple of titles that do this. Also, what are you using for playback? Please try DVDFab Media Player to see if the results are different, it is free forever for file playback.

[UserMyName]

Hello.

It happens with every single 16:9 dvd i have.

I think it will be more efficient to have you pick any NTSC based 720x480 16:9 you have and let me know if any let you rip from ISO to MKV and set 720x480, 16:9, 29.97 framerate.

DVDFab DVD Ripper lets me put the information above in...but it always comes out 3:2, or something else changes. i think i got 4:3 one time. i have done so many hours and variations i only 100% remember the last consistant error of 3:2.
***If i put in the recommended 720x404 the settings are retained in the ripped/converted MKV.
***If i put in the settings of 852x480 (i think technically 853, but DVDFab likes 852) that DVD players like to scale 720x480 discs to when playing, this is also retained in an ISO to MKV rip.

-i verify the file settings using Media Info .
i first mount the ISO to verify it shows, through MediaInfo, what the DVD box says. It has matched so far, displaying what i expect to see...720x480 16:9 and so on.
-i then try either using the mounted ISO or just add the ISO file. When i go to edit... DVDFab recognizes the correct 16:9. i change the crop tab to original or 16:9 and check the box "keep aspect ratio". I click OK. then under advanced i changed the suggested 720x404 to 720x480. i always have to change the frame rate from 23.976 to 29.97(original frame-rate).

it looks like everything is in place. i do the Rip. then when i check the file, the 16:9 has been incorrectly converted to 3:2.

[UserMyName]

update from support

I received a message from support that the engineers told them that 720x480, 16:9 (original DVD encoding) is not supported to rip to MKV. It works when i rip to .Mp4, but .Mkv for this scenario isn't supported.

-I am surprised at this response for many reasons...one of which it looks like in the past DVDFab support was working at fixing the issue http://forum.dvdfab.cn/showthread.ph...ht=720x480+mkv

-can someone please verify this info is correct?

-if this ends up being correct, can someone please explain?

thanks

[90312]

720x480 is not a 1.78 aspect ratio. 404 is the correct height for 720 width. You can tweak the frame resolution but keep the width 1.78 times larger than the height to maintain the 16:9 ratio you want. Examples:

[UserMyName]

Thanks for the response 90312.

After some more research I think my issue was my lack of knowledge of PAR (pixel aspect ratio).

Hopefully I now understand, because I hope to recap my thought process in an effort to save someone else the time and the brain hurting that happened to me.

Using the program MediaInfo from my second post, my DVD was showing as 720x480 16:9. (maybe it said the PAR value, but I didn't/don't see it)
So I thought why can't I rip my ISO to a 720x480 16:9 MKV?

Like you (90312) state 720x480 isn't 1.78(aka 16:9, aka 16 divided by 9).

Turns out my DVD was a widescreen anamorphic version. Meaning the data was 720x480 (3:2) but there is a tag, when made, that tells DVD players how to make the squished 720x480 unsquish, and look correct in 16:9. That's why MediaInfo read it as 16:9, because it must have accounted for the PAR.

props to "coolscan" from AVS forums for the link to check if my DVD was anamorphic, & much more. http://www.dvdcompare.net/index.php

Props to "SeeMoreDigital" and coincidentally "signals" in the post link below for convincing me to Rip my anamorphic DVD ISO's to "MKV-passthrough" if i want perfect quality, at the expense of large files. I am thinking i'll go with 856x480 as opposed to 720x404 since 480 doesn't lose vertical bits. yes 856 adds more unnecessary data to the horizontal (still 1 gig smaller in my test with MKV passthrough), but for the moment it is my preference. I probably won't be able to see the difference, but it will make me warm and fuzzy .
***per the link below I don't think there is an anamorphic transfer in DVDFab? For me, I'm convinced by the link below, the size savings is insignificant and makes it simpler for the player.

http://forum.dvdfab.cn/showthread.php?t=25863&highlight=non-anamorphic

I came across a ton of other helpful links and if it is acceptable i hope to follow up with those links in the future.