Exporting 1080i, Pixel Aspect Ratio Problems

Hello everyone,
I've been dealing with a lot of different format projects recently: SD, HDV 720-24P, and HDV 108050i.
For now, these projects are intended for internet delivery. I've not had too much problem exporting the SD and HDV 720-24P projects, but the HDV 108050i has been very frustrating.
When I export SD and HDV 720 in compressor, I set the pixel aspect ratios to NTSC and square, respectively. But when I try to set the pixel aspect ratio for the 1080i to "1080i 16:9" (which I believe is 1.333:1), it rejects my choice, choosing "default" instead. When compressor finishes exporting, my 1080i movie looks very squished horizontally.
The only success I have had is in exporting via Quicktime conversion, where I duplicate my compressor settings, but do nothing to the pixel aspect ratio (since there is no option to change it in quicktime, it seems). The movies I have exported with Quicktime have been fine. I don't know if it makes a difference, but when I try to export these 1080i clips, I am in the proper 1080i "easy setup."
I know almost nothing about this pixel aspect ratio business, but I believe it is the cause of my problems (since I am using the proper 16:9 aspect ratio for movie width x height).
My Questions:
1. If I am understanding the problem correctly, how do I get compressor to acknowledge the right pixel aspect ratio for my 1080i footage, rather than the incorrect "default"?
2. If am not understanding the problem correctly, what might be going on?
3. Can anyone point me to a useful resource about pixel aspect ratios? I've been searching the forums and online, and I thought I was getting a grip on things but it seems I am still way over my head. For example, what is the significance in Final Cut Pro of changing your viewer or canvas to not show square pixels? Do you need to format for square vs. non-square depending on the final delivery destination (not the source format)?
Thanks!
Message was edited by: Haberdasher

Sorry to bump, but any ideas?

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Premiere exports in incorrect pixel aspect ratio

My Panasonic camera shoots quicktime .mov JPEG videos in a 720X408 px resolution. I am having a very hard time editing them in Premiere, because I cannot get it to export them in a correct pixel aspect ratio.
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http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/812/premierewindowoc9.jpg
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Tina,
Lets see if we can get kitty onto YouTube.
There are four issues, that you will need to overcome:
1.) Project Preset to begin. Stanley lists the possible choices in post #8, based on the specs of your camera. You will have to determine which of these you used to record the files. These are *probably* set in your cameras menu area, and if you have not changed them, are probably still set. That will get you started in the right direction - but wait, theres more...
2.) It seems that your camera uses Motion-JPG as the encoder to create these files. There are at least two good Motion-JPG CODECs available, Lead and Morgan. Plus, your camera may well have come with its own Motion-JPG CODEC. The CODEC is what allows your camera to encode/compress the video data, and also what allows programs like Premiere to decode that data. Did your camera come with a CD/DVD with software on it? If so, the installation of that software *should* install any proprietary CODECs to your system. Now, if this was the case (or soon will be the case, when you locate that CD/DVD), Premiere *possibly* will be able to use that CODEC to handle the footage from your camera. If it does not, then it is *possibly* only a matter of purchasing, downloading and installing one of the two mentioned Motion-JPG CODECs. Both are relatively inexpensive, and Premiere *usually* can work with either, though your exact footage might not permit this. This is usually because a camera mfgr. chose to do their own thing. Thats why any disc that came with the camera is the first place to start.
3.) Now, you are in Premiere, have the proper CODEC installed on your system, and have Imported the footage into a Project with the proper Presets. If all is working, and I hope that it is, you just edit your footage.
4.) You have been working with Presets established based on your footage. That is likely not exactly what you will want to upload to YouTube. This is where Export comes into play. Unfortunately, YouTube seems to change the specs. weekly. About the time that someone publishes fool-proof details and settings for YouTube, they (YouTube) change everything. The best advice is to search as many fora, as you can for Export Settings for YouTube. Look at the dates for all articles. You really will only care about the most recent - very recent.
Going back up the list, there is another possibility. That would be to use a 3rd party conversion program to convert your footage to a DV-AVI Type II file. Often, with the proper CODEC installed, Premiere can do this internally, though not always, and even when it works, there can be problems. I use DigitalMedia Converter (Deskshare) a shareware program for most of my conversions. There are many freeware, and shareware, conversion programs available. Many get mentioned in this forum. Many get glowing reviews. Some are easier to use, than others.
Some balk at the thought of owning Premiere Pro and then having to use some 3rd party software to get their footage into a robust NLE, that they paid good money for. The fact is that Premiere Pro was designed to work primarily with DV-AVI Type II files, from mini tape cameras - the point made by several. That does not mean that it cannot work with other file types. It does, though not always without problems. Sometimes just passing the material through a conversion program will clear up all problems and no one is the wiser. I often use Premiere Elements, Pros little bitty brother, to convert some file formats, because it is more tolerant of many of these, than is Pro.
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for tutorials. Most that you could want to do will be there someplace. The current YouTube setting might be an exception, just because every time the Wikia gets updated, that info is out of date.
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In that sense, yes, I want to have something play back at 16:9, but at least some of my attempts to export video are squished at 4:3.
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I've saved a targa still image from my footage and added it to the bin. It's properties show as follows:
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The image appears as expected in the Program window both before and after rendering previews. However, once I export my sequence as a video file, the still image is squashed (displaying incorrectly):
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The other solution I found was to go to the bin and 'Modify > Interpret Footage' and although "Use Pixel Aspect Ratio from File" already shows the correct settings, to actively reset it (to the same pixel aspect ratio) with the 'Conform to' option:
This works too.
Surely a bug?
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This worked OK previously in Premiere 5.5.
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I'm using CC, updated today. (see system info at top).
I'm starting to wonder if the codec info is not read correctly when using the Queue (Cineform codec). I took your suggestions and created a new sequence with one clip and used the same settings. I opened the export settings window in two separate ways:
Export settings in Premiere (Ctrl M). All is good in the Source tab. PAR is interpreted correctly:
I sent the export to the queue, and from the job in AME clicked the "Custom" link to retrieve the same settings window.
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Has anyone else encountered a problem with poster frames not recognising a video's pixel aspect ratio

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Exporting 1080i, Pixel Aspect Ratio Problems

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