Aspect Ratio Conversion Hardware in DVD Players

We shoot/edit/author product that goes straight to DVD or digital download. It is very unlikely that what I produce will end up broadcast. We are leaning toward shooting new features in 16:9. My question is: does anyone know approximately when DVD players started coming with Aspect Ratio Conversion Hardware as a standard feature? (I have a really old (pre-millenium) JVC at home that doesn't have that.) Our main concern is that we don't want to make the switch to 16:9 only if it is a recent occurrence because we don't want to have upset customers trying to view it 4:3. Any thoughts? Thanks!!
Melanie

Melanie Dupre wrote:
does anyone know approximately when DVD players started coming with Aspect Ratio Conversion Hardware as a standard feature? (I have a really old (pre-millenium) JVC at home that doesn't have that.)
You've either gotten bad advice or simply aren't clued into DVD technology.
DVDs, as a format, launched with anamorphic widescreen. The first discs ever sold by Warners Bros (champion of the format) in March of 1997 contained anamorphic content on one side and pan-scan transfers on another.
Finalized in 1995, the DVD spec clearly states that all players, in order to bear the DVD logo, must be able to letterbox anamorphic content for playback on a 4:3 TV. I still have a DVD player from 1999, and it is indeed able to letterbox.
I've never come across a player sold in the US that wasn't able to letterbox anamorphic material. Are you sure you're not setting the TV Shape (or maybe it's labeled Aspect Ratio) on your player incorrectly?

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Menu aspect ratio considerations for widescreen DVD

Hello all:
I'm building a DVD with widescreen content. My intent was to build widescreen menus as well, as this would ease the use of my widescreen video for menu backgrounds (no need for panning) however I've noticed that when I create widescreen menus in Encore, they show up letterboxed on a 4:3 TV when my DVD player is set to letterbox widescreen content. At first, this seemed to make sense, however I've since observed that none of my commercial widescreen movies behave this way. Rather, they fill the screen entirely on both my 4:3 TV and my 16:9 TV, regardless of how the DVD player is set to deal with widescreen content. It's almost as if the disc provides different sets of menus for both cases, or that the menu contains directives to force the DVD player to do pan-and-scan in the 4:3 scenario even if the default behavior of the player is to letterbox.
Am I making any sense?
Basically: Is there any way to create widescreen menus and guarantee pan-and-scan on a 4:3 display, or else provide both 4:3 and 16:9 menus and have the player decide which to use? It seems the commercial DVDs must be doing one of these things...
EDIT: Incidentally, one of the popular DVDs I tried was The Matrix: Reloaded.
Cheers,
Aaron

>Basically: Is there any way to create widescreen menus and guarantee pan-and-scan on a 4:3 display...
Not using Encore, no. Encore 16:9 menus will be displayed letterboxed on a 4:3 monitor.
It may be possible to hack it post-authoring, but I'm not sure. Take a look at the tools on videohelp.com. If it is possible, you'll have to design your menus so the buttons are within a 4:3 safe area, and also have to live with the difference in pixel aspect ratios.

Aspect ratio when exporting to DVD

Newbie - forgive me but have been struggling with this one for days.
Have a project - 5 min film - in FCP X and really struggling to export it to DVD using the share command - it will copy fine but the original is in 1920 x 1080 and the DVD share option automatically selects to burn at 720 x 576. Inevitably the output is skewed and the altered ratio means that there is lost image around the edges.
I need to have this project outputted onto DVD.
I have tried exporting via the Blue Ray option and using the DVD disc option instead of the 'Hard Drive (Blu Ray)' option under Settings/Output Device but although this process seemed successful the DVD would not play on either a DVD player or Blu Ray Player.
Is there any way of exporting direct to DVD in 1920 x 1080 or similar locked aspect ratio (eg 1280 x 720 etc) or of altering the default output setting for DVD sharing?
I don't have compressor, I don't have DVD or Blu Ray burner software and surely FCP X can do this?
I have altered the format of the original file into various aspect ratios but irrespective, the output ratio is always the same incorrect ratio of 720 x 576.
In anticipation of your help, thank you and please keep your answers in plain language - am new to FCP X and macs!
Thank you
LizW

Taht's really puzzzling. Could you export a short section of your video as a Master File and open in QuickTime – and post a screen shot of the Movie Inspector Report?
Here are some screen shots of a 1080 PAL video. I have chosen a slide show with 3:2 images to emphasize the circle shape and the rectangle that extends to nearly the width of the frame.
I then export as Share>DVD. Note the 720X576 frame size bottom left.
Here, I have opened the VOB file after export in VLC (DVD PLayer will not support a screen shot).
As you can see the circle shape is not distorted (so the anamorphic data was read correctly). Nor is anything cropped in display – since the entire rectangle is shown and the width of the black bars is unchanged.
Russ

Working with aspect ratio from fcp to dvd sp

I am trying to cut video for use in a dvdsp menu. I have converted video to m2v using compressor. Video looks fine when importing to dvdsp. I try to edit same file in fcp. Everything works except when I export. After I edit m2v in fcp I am unable to make a successful export to dvdsp. I am able to import and add it to menu but the video looses its aspect ratio and is stretched.

Very true!
But there are more cows on the loose here.
For example, the QuickTime Player Pro ( with its MPEG-2 Playout Component) will always report a square- pixel size of a .m2v file. But this is just reflecting the window size that QT decided to scale the 720x480 (or 720x576) to, because the inability for a computer screen to display non-square pixels.
So it can say that an MPEG-2 file is 640x480 when it is in fact 720x480. Even worse it can tell you 720x404 or 720x540, while none of them are even technically possible to use in MPEG-2.
It is true also that BitVice (1.8x and 2.x) allows you to encode all MPEG-2 legal picture sizes up to and including 720x576, a.k.a MP@ML ( or just SD). However, only a very few of them are legal for DVD, for example, NTSC:
720x480
704x480
352x480
352x240
and PAL
720x576
704x576
352x576
352x288
Roger Andersson / Innobits AB, makers of BitVice MPEG-2 Encoder
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"I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link."

IMovie iDVD Incorrect aspect ratio of movie within dvd

This query has previously been raised elsewhere in the forum but the proposed solution looks quite complex for an iMac novice like myself.
In summary the movie looks fine when previewed in iDVd however, when burned to disk and then played on my DVD player the sides of the movie have been cropped.
Is there a 'simple' solution to maintaining the original aspect ratio of the footage from iMovie to iDVD?
Is there any s/ware available?
Thanks in advance

Open your Movies Folder. Create a new folder. Name it PROJECTNAME – TS FILES (where ‘projectname’ is the name of your project!). Close the folder. You can of course call it anything you like, but this aids identification.
Now double-click the disk image on your desktop. It contains two folders: AUDIO_TS (which is empty, but please pretend that it isn’t) and VIDEO_TS. Drag and drop these to the folder you created in your Movies Folder. (This takes a moment).
Click on the AUDIO_TS folder and go to Get Info in the file menu. Right down the bottom is where you have to change the permissions. Under ‘Ownership & Permissions’ change this from Read Only to Read & Write. Click the small triangle next to Details, scroll down and click on ‘Apply to enclosed items’. You will be asked for your root password. Close the get info window, and now click on the VIDEO_TS folder and do the same. Close the Projectname-TS Files folder. You have now allowed yourself to change the properties of the contents of those folders, which leads us to the next all-important step.
Open myDVDedit. Go to File and open the projectname TS Files folder. By all means stare at it shock and awe, but don’t bother finding out what it can do, except for the following:
Top left you fill see a list of files. Lower centre you have a large window. On the vertical menu to the left of that, click IFO.
In the window at the top left, ignore ‘First Play’ (if there was anything to correct in that, myDVDedit will have done so and told you).
Click on VMG Menu en (English). Now the whole thing springs to life.
Set Coding Mode to MPEG-2 (if it isn’t already)
Set Standard to PAL (or NTSC if that is what you want)
Set Aspect to 16:9 (not any of the other options)
Now save the file.
Click on VTS Menu 1 en (English) and repeat as above.
Click on VTS Menu 2 and repeat as above.
You have now permanently ‘fixed’ the entire contents of the TS folder (the disk image) in 16:9 aspect. Close myDVDedit – you won’t need it again until the next project!

ASpect ratio not supported by DVD... WHY???

So I've been tearing my hair out over this problem. I'm using Adobe Encore CS3, and attempting to build a DVD. I've made tons of DVDs using these files before, without a problem, and now I seem to be having issues for an unknown reason. My files are all 16:9, and I've made sure to interpret the footage to 1.2 pixel aspect ratio. Everything seems to be working perfectly, but when I try to build, I get an error:
PGC "(timeline)" has an error at 0.4004s. The aspect ratio of this file is not supported by DVD. -PGC Info: name = (timeline name), ref = HApgc, time = 0.4004s
I've tried conforming the footage to all the different aspect ratios, but nothing seems to work. Help would be much appreciated! Oh, and just so you know, my files are all .mpg, and I have no button animations, just regular text buttons. I used Sony Vegas to render the original files, and I've never had this issue in Encore before, and I've done nothing differently as far as rendering and setting up the project goes.

The PGC error is deadly.
Have you moved your media or project files, or your project folder?
Have you overwritten any of the media files with newer versions? If you
can answer yes to any of these questions, then you may well be out of
luck with this project. Often with the PGC error, starting a brand-new
project from scratch is the only solution. You can try saving the
project under a different name, then closing and launching En and
opening a different project. From there, go to Edit | Preferences |
Media and clean the media cache database. Then re-open your re-named
project. It probably won't work, but it's worth a try just in case it does.
-Jeff

PGC, aspect ratio not supported by DVD, please advice!

I hope someone can help me!
During the build of the DVD the following error occurs:
RPC "Extra 's" has an error at 0.0000s.
The aspect ratio of this file is not supported by DVD.
PGC info: name=Extra 's ref-HApgc. time=0.0000s.
The "Extra 's" is one of the menus I used in this project, it is an exisiting Encor template, I used two buttons for two SD clips.
I am using CS-4.
Please help!!!

I completly rebuild the project with the same template menus and all clips, no luck, it gives the same error.
Then i rebuild the complete project in a new projectfile with a different menu template, succes!!!
I'm using CS-4 from the beginning and had no such problems at all.
Anyway, i 'm burning the DVD 's now so i am happy although i still don 't know what causes the previous problems.
Thanks for your support!

Can someone help me with aspect ratio conversion in DVD Studio Pro?

I'm a graphic designer at a small film distributor. Our production guy tells me I need to give him menu graphics at 854 x 480, and the Final Cut Pro will convert that to 720 x 480. That doesn't make sense to me; why don't I just give it to him at 720? I did two test files. BOTH look distorted. I'm not sure where to go from here; I want to solve the distortion problem, but I don't know what to tell our production guy he needs to do. Can someone explain to me, to forward to him, how to NOT convert/compress/whatever a graphics file? I want to be able to give it to him 1:1, with no distortion in the process at all. Or is that not possible? Thanks in advance.

If you've got photoshop, simply create a new doc using either the NTSC DV preset (either regular or widescreen). This will create a doc that will display correctly from within photoshop, but save and import correctly in dvdsp.
This is all due to the fact that dvd's (and most video formats) use rectangular pixels while photoshop uses square pixels.

DVD aspect ratio not working on some players?

I've been working on a 16:9 DVD and recently burned it to make sure everything is working correctly.
On my computer, and my newest DVD player, everything is fine and I get a nice widescreen image.
But on my Xbox and older DVD player, the image is significantly cropped on the sides.
Is this a player issue, or is there a setting I can change to override the crop?

I know nothing about the Xbox but for the dvd player in the menu is it set to widescreen?

4:3 to 16:9 aspect ratio conversion in QT

All,
I have a video file that came in at 4:3 and because of the way it will present on the web, the video needs to drop into a 16:9 format with black side bearings.
Is this possible in QTPro? Do I need to look for another app to perform what seems like a very simple operation.
mjb

Is this possible in QTPro?
Yes.
Do I need to look for another app to perform what seems like a very simple operation.
No. Simplest option would be to layer a black (or other color) background frame of the appropriate size behind the video and scale its duration to match the duration of your movie (i.e., a simple "Add to Selection & Scale procedure), set layers to ensure the movie is above the background, center or offset the video layer where you want it in the player, and save the result using the "Save As..." option to place everything in a new MOV file container. No re-compresion is applied, so the whole operation is very quick taking only enough time as is required to copy all of the data to the new file.

How to capture frames in Premier Pro to edit in Photoshop with correct aspect ratio.

I am using Premier Pro and Photoshop CS5 in Creative Studio CS5. I have read and understand several help articles on square and rectangular pixels used for various video aspect ratios. I am using the camera button on the bottom right of the Program monitor to captue a frame and save as a jpg file. When I open the jpg file in Photoshop to edit for a DVD disc cover using the Elliptical Marquee Tool with a fixed ratio of 1 to 1, the result is not the circular image I need but wider. This must be an aspect ratio conversion that I am missing. I have seen conversions that correct this by lengthening the height but the image is also lengthened and thus results in a distiortion.
How do I correctly deal with this aspect ration conversion between Premier Pro and Photoshop without distortion?

This is most likely a PAR (Pixel Aspect Ratio) issue. With SD (Standard Definition) Video, you can have Standard 4:3 w/ PAR = 0.9, Widescreen 16:9 w/ PAR = 1.2, or a non-standard 4:3 w/ PAR = 1.0 (rounded PAR's for NTSC).
In Ps, you have the ability to adjust the PAR, under the Image menu from the Toolbar. For use on a DVD, you would choose a PAR of 0.9 if you have Standard 4:3, or 1.2 for Widescreen 16:9.
With the PAR adjustment, to match your Video footage, you should then be able to get what you want, without the distortion. Also, note that one can change how the PAR displays in Ps. By default, it will be Square Pixels, or PAR = 1.0, and you should get an info message that the display is not showing the exact PAR. This can also be changed in Ps.
For more discussion on PAR, see this article: http://forums.adobe.com/message/3456609#3456609
Good luck,
Hunt

FCP scaling/aspect ratio motion algorithms make good video soft?

I have tried everything, but converting 16:9 footage into a 4:3 timeline in Final Cut Pro makes the letter-boxed video soft. I have, of course, double checked against NTSC external broadcast monitor. Original 16:9 clips look great, when converted to letter box 4:3 timeline they go soft. ( I believe it is FCP ineptness in handling Pixel Aspect Ratio conversion from 1.2 to 0.9, but I would love to be wrong at this point) I know FCP has poor scaling algorithms to begin with, but this is a very obnoxious issue when capturing clips widescreen from the deck, but having your final output needing to be edited and taped off in letter-boxed format for SD broadcast.
I really want to avoid losing any quality when going from 16:9 to 4:3 letter-box, so is there a plugin that can be used to handle the rescaling that does a better job than just FCP by itself? These are pretty complicated edits, (television show) so avoiding having to hop over to After Effects for a second huge render would be preferable. I have exhausted Google looking into this, lol, anyone have any ideas?
Thanks All,
Dustin Hoye
Editor
Sour Squirrel Studios, llc.

Patrick,
Thanks for the quick response. My motion filtering quality is set to "Best". After looking over the link you provided ( I will examine more thoroughly, but saw your response and wanted to re-post to answer your question.) I also tried switching to "Fastest (linear)" just to see if it would eliminate the softness/possible double lines, but of course, no luck. (Also, just to clarify, this is working all in SD.)
I would consider using Compressor or (After Effects for that matter), but I am editing using the letter box conversion because we occasionally are mixing in past regular 4:3 footage with the letter boxed 16:9. (the reg 4:3 being a minority of the clips) It is easier just to matte those 4:3 clips to match the converted 16:9 since there are fewer of them. If I fed the timeline to compressor then those clips (the reg. 4:3) would get interpreted incorrectly. I suppose I could just leave them out and re-insert them later, but depending on the number of them and how they are used that could be quite a work-around. It would be great if I could just get FCP to interpret the conversion internally (i.e. plugin) w/out causing quality loss. Sigh.
Everything else is set to 100%; editing 10- bit uncompressed, 10-bit material in High Precision YUV. I have tried multiple combinations of capture, codecs and vid processing options, but all seem to have the same result.
Thanks Again,
Dustin

Aspect ratio problem (stretched vertically)

I have a DVD that was apparently converted from 16:9 to 4:3 by stretching vertically. Is there any way I can squeeze it back down to 16:9 and include black strips on top and bottom? As I recall, iMovie offers a choice for the aspect ratio. So I'm hoping this might be a reasonable place to pose the question. What I have in mind is to import the footage from the DVD into iMovie. I'm hoping that I will then be able to squeeze it back down in the vertical direction and restore it back to the proper aspect ratio.

A 4:3 DVD has the same number of pixels as a 16:9 DVD. There is a flag on the DVD that tells the TV how much to stretch the pixels horizontally. There are never any black bars on the DVD per se.
Playing a 4:3 DVD on a widescreen (16:9) TV, black bars are placed left and right by the DVD Player.
Playing a widescreen (16:9) DVD on a 4:3 TV, black bars are placed top and bottom by the DVD Player.
It seems as someone rendered your DVD with the black bars imposed on the image on the DVD, which is not the proper way. There isn't anything you can do about that: You can't get back the pixels lost in the process.

Text and aspect ratio for creating it in Photoshop

Hi there,
I am doing something that will be displayed via a laptop. I am making titles and text blocks in photoshop, because the text feature in FCE looks quite bad with scrolling or animated texts. I am confused about the aspect ratio. For something that is going to be played on a laptop>projector, would i create the text in 720x480 OR 740x540. Thanks for your help, i really appreciate it.
Karen

Karen,
If you will be viewing on a TV or burning a DVD, you need to account for the rectangular pixels of that output. If you will be using Quicktime to view the movie to a projector, you will need use a different aspect ratio.
So: TV/DVD
Create image at 720x540
Add text
Image Size, unclick Constrain, size to 720x480
Add to FCE. Go to Motion:Distort:Aspect Ratio:0
Quicktime:
Create image at 720x480
Add to FCE - Image will look sqeezed, but will be fine in QT.
Personally I would use the text creators in FCE. Remember, text will look BAD until it is rendered and output. Preview on Canvas is not good.
Hope this helps.

Is pixel aspect ratio in TIFs not supported

Hallo,
I generated 200 TIFs with a Photoshop script that I wanted to use as slides in an Encore DVD project.
After importing the TIFs into Encore I recognized that the were too small. Though when I opened them in Photoshop they had the correct pixel aspect ratio for a PAL DVD and the correct size (720 x 576 pixels).
I then saved those TIFs as PSDs again and imported those into Encore. Suddenly they were shown in the correct width.
So my question is: Does Encore DVD not support pixel aspect ratio in TIFs?
Regards,
Christian Kirchhoff

Bill.
My Apologies.
What I mean is a Subpicture Highlight image, as used by Scenarist & Maestro and an option in DVD-Lab Pro.
Instead of importing a PSD, with all it's layers, what we do is this:
1 - Create a 720x480 0.9 PAR background image in Photoshop. This will be the background of the menu, and should be a full 24 bit colour image. Usually saved as a TIF file but in some apps can be a bitmap. Sonic insist on a TIF.
2 - Create the Subpicture Highlight image. This is what will become the button artwork. You have 4 colours:
White (Background)
Black (Main
Red (Highlight 1)
Blue (Highlight 2)
Save as a 2-bit indexed TIF file, with a maximum of 4 colours. Black must be 0,0,0 in RGB, same applies for other colors - they need to be pure colours.
3 - Create a button image if there are complex shapes in the SPHL. This will create the actual buttons. Not always needed, as you can also create buttons from the SPHL.
When I need to use these, I then load the external background, and import the SPHL over the top, and assign the buttons. Everything works really well doing this process. Not as elegant as a PSD import, I grant you - but a lot less room for error with "hidden" buttons etc.

Aspect Ratio Conversion Hardware in DVD Players

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