When choosing the MPEG-2 DVD format (MMC 8.5) and checking "Record Cropped Video", do you know what the actual size of the video is. I know the frame is still 720x480 (for full D1, anyway), but how much is being cropped? I didn't see this anywhere in the manual or over at videohelp.com.

And as a follow up, would you say that this is a substantial benefit in regard to saving bitrate? In my head it seems that way because there is no change in pixel information from one frame to the next, therefore more bits can be allocated to the actual picture rather than overscan. Am I reasoning this correctly?
Thanks.

Be sure the "cropped" is enabled in both places, in the MPEG settings, as well as the master MMC display settings. Not doing both will encode a funny-size res. Enabling both keeps a master 720x480 with the inner 675x450 (or something close) holding the actual image, and the outside 45x30 or so is black.

Yes, removing noise and unneeded image uses the bitrate on the actual image that is left. The black area takes up minimal resources. It results in a better quality MPEG, yes.

It's a real shame standalone DVD recorders and other capture cards don't have the overscan-obliterating feature.

Wow, that cuts off quite a bit more than I had imagined. Thanks.

It removes overscan...

... well, most of it anyway, enough to do some good, but not so much that it bleeds into the visible image.

Valuable feature.