burned dvd files, 720x480 but....
 

Here's my question:

When I burn a dvd of a project that was all the same resolution (720x480) and then play it on a larger screen is the image from the DVD just zoomed in to fit the screen or is the image actually enlarged in some other way to try and keep the same quality that is seen at 720x480.

I am burning files that were made on a DV camera and I just don't want them to look like absolute trash when they are viewed on a larger screen.

Do you mean on a widescreen TV?

All (NTSC) DVDs are 720x480, but with widescreen DVDs, the pixel aspect ratio is 1.21 instead of .91.

If your project is 4:3 instead of widescreen, on the widescreen TV's standard settings, the picture will be stretched horizontally and look that way -- but you should be able to set the TV to display 4:3 material properly, but with bars on the sides. Some DVD players can be set to do this automatically, too, so that you don't have to worry about your TV settings.

If your project is widescreen and you've made a widescreen (anamorphic) DVD, it will display correctly on a widescreen TV. It will also display correctly on a standard TV, because the DVD player will take care of it (assuming it's set properly; it should be at default).

But remember -- it doesn't matter how big the TV is -- it's always the same resolution when playing a DVD.

(Some players can "uprez" to high definition, but don't worry about that -- it's not a function of how you make your DVD.)