@ Jorel
YEP! In DVD2AVI if setting Scale PCtoTV the luma will be keeped within the TV Luma range. Which btw is not a bad thing as a full luma range will screw up the view on your TV ... and a full RGB white could also do harm to your TV if its set up correctly in its luma (which is obligatory
reference DVD).
But do you know in which state your source comes in? Some DVDs do got 0-100 and some others do keep the TV luma compilance. That can only be checked via Levels histogram for example. And DVD2AVI wont parse the luma of the whole input stream. Neither the encoder in its Luma Range setting. So If you will be 100% acurate, youll have to check the peak and low of your input (like I do in case of captures)
Look into the newest FitCD, there you can see the levels() command you can add to stretch the luma to PCscale or reverse.
You say a "Loss" of luma, ok, seen on PC Screen thats true, but as we do encode for TV purposes finally seen on the TV there wont be a loss as it will be "visually" compensated by the orig TV brightness.
To see a real difference and what really could be wrong, you would have to use a calibrated ClassA Monitor which costs a hell
But which TV is perfectly calibrated? And even if its calibrated correctly via a reference DVD youll never get that quality reference range like on a ClassA Monitor.
So... its the same as that subject about correct resizing: Cause (like mentioned by Phil) does anybody knows the actual state of correct PixAspectRatio and Luma/Hue of his TV?
EVEN if we would resize 100% correctly and scale the Luma correctly. Most user TVs will screw that up anyway.
The only Problem is, If your TV does screw up the Image (no mater if resized or Luma) in one direction, it would be fatal if the image processing before encoding is done ALSO in that wrong direction, cause that would end up in a double up screwed Image on TV later
... so theres still a reason of doing correct Luma scale and resizing before encoding
And there the "Philiosophy" starts