I was wrong about having fixed this file yesterday using MKVToolNix. When I started watching the movie this morning, the actors appeared wider than normal. So, I tried again using Handbrake.
Here is a screenshot of the settings:
Now, the movie has black bars (about 1 inch) at the top and bottom, which is fine. However, Handbrake appears to have compressed the file from 3.36 GB to 817.4 MB. Is it possible to de-compress this file or to perform this task using Handbrake without compressing the file? Thanks.
That’s an unusual film - not very many were presented at 2.00:1 aspect ratio. It looks like the automatic cropping was good; all of the “size” values work out how we’d expect. That was my first concern.
It’s not possible to crop or edit the video contents without re-encoding. It is possible to use high-quality codecs and high quality settings to keep from losing any perceivable quality.
If you aren’t worried about space and just want high quality, for this film, from a DVD, here’s where I’d suggest you start:
Preset -> Matroska -> H.264 MKV 480p30
Video -> Quality -> Constant Quality -> RF 18
Video -> Tune -> Film
Audio -> Tracks (pull-down menu) -> Add All Tracks
Audio -> Codec column -> AC3 Passthru
Subtitles -> Tracks (pull-down menu) -> Add All Tracks
RF18 is pretty much the maximum quality that’s useful for a DVD source, and the “Film” preset does a good job of preserving visual details.
The Audio and Subtitles settings are just to copy over what’s on the DVD.
My two films now look normal. “Body Snatchers” needs some TLC by the magicians at Warner Archive or Criterion, but I can live with the current file until that happens. Thanks again for your help.
