Im aware that there are a few alternative programs around, and am planning on trying them properly before diving in with the mencoder work.
My first priority is to discover why it is that my (and I assume, other people's) players sometimes lose a-v sync in high motion scenes. Im currently guessing that its to do with large frame sizes, which may offer us the possibility of eliminating the problem.
Thanks for the welcome, lca77, and I'll be sure to check your viDrop presets out