16:9 video croped to 4:3 during Build

Question

When I look at the project in Encore's preview it look fine.
I build the project. I put the DVD into any dvd player. The menu comes up 16:9 with no problems. When I click play the video comes up and has been cropped into 4:3, as if Encore zoomed in on the safe area and cropped everything into 4:3. This cuts off a lot of my footage and is obviously not the format I want. I'm very new to Encore and don't know how to go about fixing this problem. I've spent two hours trying to find a solution, searching google and so far I'm still stuck.
Please, someone help.

Answer 1

There are several programs that do light editing and authoring, that do not have DD certification. Roxio comes immediately to mind. The AC3's from some of these will not work correctly and can cause all sorts of issues. The programs often get around these issues with their own files, but then the Audio often cause issues, when the DVD-Video's are played. I think that Nero's Audio-editing module with multi-track capabilities is the same. There is also a recent thread on doing 5.1 SS on the "cheap," without the SurCode plug-in. Neil Wilkes had some good comments on that thread, near the end.
Just like .AVI (though with far, far fewer variations), the encoder used can make a big difference in an AC3 format file.
It's similar with the comparison between these programs and PrPro, with regards to the need to buy the Minnetonka SurCode DD 5.1 SS plug-in for US$250. Users complain that their US$50 program does 5.1 SS (via AC3), so why does a US$600 program, like PrPro require that one pay $250 for a plug-in? The answer is that those other programs do NOT do DD 5.1 SS. They produce hacked, or reverse-engineered variations on it, with no DD licensing fees paid - hence no DD logo. The lack of the logo might not affect many, as these are often personal discs, however, they often affect playback on DD logo'ed equipment.
If one is working in Adobe programs only, their AC3's will be fine, whether DD stereo, or DD 5.1 SS (with the SurCode plug-in). Step outside of Adobe and YMMV.
Hunt