Pal dv aspect ratio

first off i don't really know what i'm doing in final cut
my project is not widescreen, normal 4:3
what i've done is i've finished a project and output it as pal dv using file > export > quicktime movie
when i view the resulting file in quicktime, everything is ok, apart from the aspect ratio. everyone looks a bit skinny.
if i hit apple-i, i can see the following details in quicktime:
normal size: 720 x 576
current size: 720 x 576
if i go hit apple-j and go to video track > visual settings, uncheck 'preserve aspect ratio' and fill in the following details:
scaled size: 768 x 576
then my video looks ok and i am happy.
now here's my question. at some point i have managed to output a pal dv quicktime file from this project that opens up in quicktime ok and looks how i would like, it's displayed at 768 x 576 without me having to fiddle.
but i can't remember how i did it! i think it had something to do with right-clicking on something and choosing 'settings'. there's a choice somewhere for pal (5:4) and pal (4:3) which i think were involved but whenever i play with those setting now i can't output the file i would like
anyone help me out?

HI,
I'm not entirely sure what your describing towards the end of your post, Quicktime or Final Cut.
Do you still have this project saved in Final Cut?
It depends on what you want to view this movie on, but if you were happy with it at 768x576 then you can just export it from Final Cut using the 'Quicktime Conversion'.
Select that and a "save" box opens up.
Click "options", then "size".
Select "custom" from the drop-down dimensions menu and set the size to whatever you like, namely 768x576 (which is 4:3).
OK everything and hit "save"
Whenever you open it from there on it should open at that size.
Is that what you wanted?

Similar Messages

DV-PAL pixel aspect ratio & Quicktime confusion...

Hi all,
Hoping someone can clarify some things for me! Here's the situation...
I'm extracting some clips from a DVD, for another editor to put together a showreel. The clips are all off the telly in 4:3. I extracted the clips using MPEG Streamclip, the Quicktime Export option and the Apple DV PAL codec 720 by 576.
First question - it offers me an 'unscaled' output option of 768 by 520. Why 768? Is this something to do with Quicktime only using square pixels and DV PAL video using rectangular?
Second question - Assuming the other editor will be using Final Cut to put the showreel together, which is the most convenient picture & pixel aspect ratio to provide the clips in? I know I can change the pixel a.r. if I drop the clips into a Final Cut timeline and fiddle with the sequence settings. Is that necessary or helpful?
I'm pretty sure the DV codec is the best to use for this exercise, but any thoughts welcome...
Cheers,
Ilan

It can be very confusing. Here's a great place to start....
http://documentation.apple.com/en/finalcutpro/usermanual/index.html#chapter=70%2 6section=13

Confused by PAL aspect ratio

Hi,
I'm creating an animation from a series of CGI stills to be eventually outputted as a DV-PAL quicktime movie for use on a DVD to be played on a PAL system.
I'm struggling to understand what aspect ratio I should be saving my stills as - the table and instructions on pages 796-798 of the FCE manual suggest I should start with a still at 4:3 ratio (768 x 576 pixels), and then squash it to 720 x 576 pixels to compensate for PAL stretching it in the other direction during export.
However, when I bring the clips into my sequence, they don't match the aspect ratio of the sequence on the canvas (which seems to be 4:3). The end result seems to be a pillarbox effect of the final animation, rather than seeing the stills stretched back to 4:3 ratio.
Do I also need to set up the aspect ratio of the sequence to match my converted files? Or is there a way of applying PAL's aspect ratio to the clip once it's in Final Cut Express?
Any help gratefully received!!
Derek

i never tried so it's not 100% sure, but this would be the way i would do and i am pretty sure it will work.
if your final goal format is PAL what you should import the animation with a 4:3 ratio (768x576).
then export from the FC export as quicktime movie and then load it on idvd or dvd studio pro. this programs will automatically encode your video to PAL or NTSC (you can choose between this two) with the 720x576 you want.
or you can export to quicktime conversion and choose DV stream -> PAL and then import to idvd or DvdSP, thus you will loose resolution because you are converting and compressing several times, so for better results export to quicktime movie.
tell us if it worked
cheers!
Message was edited by: ilucena

Pixel Aspect Ratio Discrepancy

My first project after being upgraded to CS4 (with Matrox Axio) was supposed to be very simple and wasn't. A :10 sponsorship billboard with animated background we always use (avi), client supplied logo (tga), and announcer audio track (wav). Set up the project/sequence to be D1/DV 0.9, just like always. Targa file was also 0.9. So far everything is normal. Then rep decides they want a plain blue background instead of the animated one, and would like to add a phone super. Made a solid blue background in the title generator, again 0.9, and when I put it on the timeline, I could no longer see video. Even if I dbl clicked on it, I couldn't see either background or logo in the source monitor. In case the title generator didn't like making a color solid, I re-made the graphic in Photoshop, again 0.9 tga, created a new project from scratch, imported my sources and when I put the background on the bottom track, again I couldn't see any video. I changed the pixel aspect ratio of the tga background to square pixels, put it on the timeline and that worked. I could see the logo again. So I made the phone super in the title generator and thought okay...square pixels. Brought the title graphic onto the timeline, and couldn't see any video. Changed the title graphic back to 0.9, brought it back onto the timeline, and it worked. So I had a background targa graphic in square pixels, a logo targa graphic in 0.9 and a title graphic in 0.9. One more thing that was a new experience for me was that a box popped up that said I needed to scrub through the sequence before it would play in real time. So I did, and it played. Can anyone share with me some logic to this discrepancy? Thanks.

I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that Adobe changed the PAL pixel aspect ratio from CS3 to CS4?
I've fallen foul of this a couple of time.
There's some information here:
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/AfterEffects/9.0/WS3878526689cb91655866c1103906c6dea-7f3aa.htm l
about halfway down the page
and more here:
http://blogs.adobe.com/toddkopriva/2009/07/pixel_aspect_ratios_in_after_e.html
which has some useful links.
Although they're mostly talking about After Effects, this applies equally to Premiere CS4.
HTH
Mark

Windows DVD Maker Aspect Ratio

I am using the Windows 7 DVD Maker tool, and am experiencing some MAJOR issues. I have a widescreen formatted AVI file I am trying to burn onto a DVD. When I import the video, it doesn't matter which aspect ratio I choose the finished DVD is the same. Menu shows video correctly, but the movie part is squeezed into a 4:3 with black bars on all four sides. I have wasted several DVDs attempting to use multiple configurations within DVD Maker and none have been successful. None of the "related topics" have helped as half are unanswered and the others explain a method of using Movie Maker to edit the movie and import the project into DVD Maker. Well, Windows Movie Maker projects CANNOT be imported into DVD Maker; I've tried. It throws a "Unsupported file type" error and cannot be imported. Furthermore, when I try and save it as a file from Movie Maker, it gives me an error saying that the DVD won't hold my movie length, when I know it will, and doesn't do anything to help.
I would really like to get this to work, because it appears to be an integral part of the functionality of DVD Maker and I do not want to waste any more DVDs.
Thanks,

My problem with DVD Maker was slightly different.
I found that with .avi files it did not create wide-screen movies correctly for my widescreen TV. Instead of producing a "letter-box" format (black bars top and bottom) it filled
the screen from top to bottom and also squeezed the picture horizontally. It was obvious right from the start with, for example, the planet earth in the Universal Pictures logo appearing oval instead of round.
A search of forums on this subject produced a hint that codecs could be the source of the problem, so I downloaded the Windows Vista Codec Package. This made no difference. I then
found a tip in another forum relating to a different type of problem, but it suggested loading the .avi file into Windows Movie Maker, setting a few options, creating a project, then selecting DVD for output, whereupon Movie Maker switches to DVD Maker
and creates the DVD in the usual way. I decided to try that out, and eureka! - it worked. The movies now play correctly on my DVD player/TV and also on my home theatre setup.
I suggest that you don't use Save As... nor try to copy it into DVD Maker. Let Movie Maker do the work.
Just select Publish / DVD and Movie Maker will tell you what it's about to do. So click OK and enter the file name.
For those readers unfamiliar with either or both programs, here are the step-by-step instructions:
Click Start
Select Windows Movie Maker
From the top Menu click --
Tools / Options
Select the Advanced tab
Set your applicable Video format - NTSC or PAL
Set Aspect Ratio to 16:9
Select the Compatibility tab
Uncheck the box "AVI decompressor"
Click OK
You only need to set the above options once - the settings will be retained for future jobs.
On the main screen, under the heading: Import-------
Select: Videos
Locate your .avi file and click on it (or double-click if necessary).
The file will be loaded.
Drag the file down and drop it on to the storyboard.
Under the heading: Publish to -------
Select: DVD
Information message appears - click OK
Movie Maker needs to save the project file - enter the name of the movie when prompted and click Save.
Movie Maker will switch to Windows DVD Maker.
Click Next
Select Menu text
The movie name will already be copied in. Change it if you like / or Don't Change.
Load a blank DVD
Click Burn
Go make a cup of coffee, take the dog for a walk.
After the job has completed, be sure to exit completely from Windows DVD Maker before starting the next job with Movie Maker.
If anyone has a smarter solution do share it!!

Wrong aspect ratio or size when exporting Pal anamorph with ProRes codec!

Hi community,
I have a problem exporting a spot in the right format. The customer/the upload service provider needs PAL anamorph 16:9 in ProRes codec.
When I export my FULLHD spot to these setting, the aspect ratio/the spot size turns out wrong. When opened in QT Pro the size is 720x576, what is correct, but the anamorph size quotet in brackets reads different values, for example 1020x576 but never 1024x576, what would be correct.
The service providers online software refuses to work with these wrong nunmbers...!?
The same export settings with QT Animation codec is correct. Also when exporting the same composition with two export modules, the Animation codec is OK, the ProRes codec is wrong. No matter whether I export a PAL-format comp or stretch it while exporting the FullHD comp.
Working with After Effects CC.
Any ideas?

Don't resize the output but instead drop your full HD comp in a standard PAL widescreen comp, fit the HD comp horizontally and then render the new comp without using any resize controls.
Second option, Render your full HD comp to a frame based production master codec (prorez) and then use the Adobe Media Encoder and setup a PAL Widescreen Square Pixel preset. Here's my Pal Widescreen Prorez 422 HQ preset. It is what I use for all requests for Pal ProRez from my clients.

Aspect ratio PAL.

OK. Downloaded FCE and LiveType. Now...
1. If my finished product will go via iMovie and iDVD do I have to use PAL settings in LiveType or will iDVD PAL setting be sufficient? (Time constraints prevent me from using FCE just right now).
2. I imported a project from LiveType to iMovie via QT and everything seems fine. However, the screen has been shortened in iMovie. Did I miss an aspect ratio setting? I think so. I did browse through the archives. Edit>Properties. Right? I would like to use 4:3.
Thanking you in advance.

Hi Geoff
(1) If you live in the Maui which is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and is in the U.S. State of Hawaii, I presume you would be using NTSC, and therefore you would use its settings in LiveType.
PAL which we use here in Australia is totally different, so I don't understand your reference to it. If you are trying to convert NTSC QT clips to PAL or vice versa, then that is nothing really much to do with LiveType, and IMHO beyond the scope of this forum.
(2) This is also nothing really much to do with Livetype - you need to ask this in the iMovie forum as you are importing a self-contained QT file, not a project.
Regards. Robert

Aspect ratio for PAL 5:4 material in HD sequence...

I've got an HD timeline, 1080i, 16:9, square pixels... I've been given some DV PAL (5:4 / 720x576) material to use in the sequence. It looks vertically stretched, so I need to change the distort aspect ratio... but what exactly do I change it to? It looks ok at -6 or even -10 or -12... but I can't tell what is the correct/accurate setting! What is the correct aspect ratio setting?
Thanks!

...and following some tests, the answer is... -6.67

The (new) Premiere pixel aspect ratio is wrong for my PAL DV cam footage

I've had a Sony TRV-950E DV-cam since 2003. I've been shooting DV PAL in widescreen.
I just bought Elements 12 to edit my footage, and discovered that the pixel aspect ratio for D1/DV PAL Widescreen has been updated to 1.46 (old value 1.42).
The theory behind this change is that video recorded on 720x576 is slightly wider than 16:9 and that the 16:9 portion is 704x576.
Unfortunately this is not correct for my footage! I've captured the video from my DV-cam (by firewire) and opened it in Premere and it is streched to be shown as 1050x576.
So I did a test:
I filmed a steady shot of a perfect circle and captured the video from the camera and opened it in Premiere. The pixel ascpect ratio 1.46 makes the display 1050x576.
The question is: Am I seeing this displayed as a perfect circle now?
This can be tested:
I make a picture of a perfect circle in Photoshop (square pixels) with size 1024x576. I imported this picture into the Premiere project, and match the two circles: The filmed one, and the Photoshop one.
They DO NOT match! The one on the video is slightly stretched in width.
So then I stretch the Photoshop picture in width to become 1050x576. I then import this picture into the project. And now I have a perfect match between the circles!
This means that my DV camera actually records a 100% 16:9 picture on all the pixels 720x576 - and not a slightly wider picture with the 16:9 part being in 704x576 (which is the reason for the change in pixel aspect ratio from 1.42 to 1.46).
I have some HD scenes that I want to import (and downscale) into my SD project also, and I also have a lot of still pictures.
Unless I can change the setup i Elements to the correct ratio 1.42, these stills and sqare-pixel-video (HD) should ideally be streched from 1024x576 to 1050x576 to match (become equally stretched as) all the SD footage.
How do I solve this?
I just bought Elements 12 three days ago.
(I just tried opening the captured video in Windows Movie Maker - and that program must use pixel aspect ratio 1.42 since the video is diplayed correctly as 1024x576 with a perfect circle)
Regards,
Tom from Norway

Tom
After much thought and exploration and experimentation, I have come to the conclusion that there is no practical purpose for doing anything other than importing your media into the project and editing/exporting. I find no distortion in doing so, be it in the video samples that you posted or in still models that I created for the pixel aspect ratio 1.422 vs 1.4587 for D1/DV PAL Widescreen.
If you have not already, please read the following about the Adobe DV Widescreen Pixel Aspect Ratio change from 1.422 to 1.456.
Please start in the first link which gives some get subsequent links in it
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/673877
http://www.mikeafford.com/blog/2009/03/pal-d1-dv-widescreen-square-pixel-settings-in-after -effects-cs4-vs-cs3/
Also, you may find the following article on square and non square pixels of interest. It uses the PAL DV Widescreen 1.422 pixel aspect ratio in its discussion.
http://library.creativecow.net/articles/gerard_rick/pixel_madness.php
Aside from the explanation for the rights and wrongs of the matter, this is what I actually observed taking your PAL DV AVI Widescreen and PAL MPEG2.mpg Widescreen into the same Premiere Elements 12 Windows PAL DV Widescreen project. Along with your video files were still images that I created in Photoshop Elements 11 Full Editor:
1024 x 576 document with a red circle on Layer 2 of the Layers Palette
1050 x 576 document with a red circle on Layer 1 of the Layers Palette.
The red circles were superimposed in creation. The difference in the pixel dimensions between the two are evidenced by Layer 1 content peaking through on the left and right.
The gpsot readout for pixel aspect ratio for each of the videos was
a. Your PAL DV AVI 720 x 576 Widescreen = 1.422
b. Your PAL MPEG2.mpg 720 x 576 Widescreen = 1.422
Each of the Photoshop Elements documents (circles) saved as .psd files 1050 x 576 pixels.
When all were taken into Premiere Elements 12 project manually set for PAL DV Widescreen, they looked like the following, no display of distortion.......
PAL DV AVI Widescreen 720 x 576 (now the pixel aspect ratio in Premiere Elements Properties was shown as 1.4587, not the 1.422 seen in gspot before import)
PAL MPEG2.mpg Widescreen 720 x 576 (now the pixel aspect ratio in Premiere Elements 12 Properties was shown as 1.4587, not the 1.422 seen in gspot before import)
Edit Menu/Preferences/General with check mark next to "Default Scale to Frame Size" was in effect.
As for the red circles stills (1050 x 576 to equate to the square pixel version of 720 x 576 widescreen) did not distort when brought into the Premiere Elements 12 Edit area monitor which is established by the PAL DV Widescreen project preset with the pixel aspect ratio = 1.4587.
The jpg version of the Photoshop Elements document (.psd) 1050 x 576 pixels (square pixels) looked like:
And, when this Timeline was exported Publish+Share/Computer/AVI with the DV PAL Widescreen preset, there was no distortion in the export. It looked undistorted as it did before export.
So, unless I am overlooking a key point here, I cannot see a reason why you cannot use the video sources that you presented for sampling as weil as stills with the 1050 x 576 pixel dimensions.
The only time I see any distortion possibilities is if you use a player that does not recognize the 16:9 flag that stretches the 720 x 576 to 1050 x 576 for display after encoding.
Trying to convert Premiere Elements 12 which uses the 1.4587 pixel aspect ratio for PAL DV Widescreen into a Premiere Elements 7 which uses the 1.422 pixel aspect ratio for PAL DV Widescreen is up hill in spite of creative thinking on your side.
Please review and let me know if you are seeing another different from what I am reporting with the samples that you posted.
Thank you.
ATR

PAL aspect ratio: 720 x 576 is not 4:3

I've just "Shared" my first movie using Full Quality. I thought it looked a bit odd. Comparing the original with the compressed version in Quicktime, the QT version is obviously narrower.
Checking the QT details gives 720 x 576. The imported video looks like 4:3 to me. That should come out as 720 x 540.
Somewhere on another posting I think I saw the NTSC version as 640 x 480. That's 4:3.
No-one else seems to have brought this up (I have looked, but I may have missed it), so I'm beginning to think it's me and I'm losing the plot!
If I'm right, how do I get round it? Would QT Pro allow the movie to be resampled to 4:3?

Read all about this nasty aspect ratio stuff from "A Quick Guide to Digital Video Resolution and Aspect Ratio Conversions":
http://www.iki.fi/znark/video/conversion/
"Not a single one of the commonly used digital video resolutions exactly represents the actual 4:3 or 16:9 image frame.
Shocking, isn't it? 768×576, 720×576, 704×576, 720×480, 704×480, 640×480... none of them is exactly 4:3 or 16:9; not even the ones you may conventionally think as "square-pixel" resolutions."
"720x540 is an oddball compromise format. Better to avoid unless you really know what you are doing. [...] the original interlaced field structure (if any) will go haywire as you mess around scaling in the vertical direction."
http://www.uwasa.fi/~f76998/video/conversion/#4.7
So:
To convert rectangular pixel PAL 720x576 DV to square pixel image you should scale to 788x576, then optionally crop it with 10 pixels from both sides so that the final image is 768x576.
To convert rectangular pixel NTSC 720x480 DV to square pixel image you should scale to 656x480, then optionally crop it with 8 pixels from both sides so that the final image is 640x480.
And to the other direction:
To convert a 4:3 (2048x1536, 768x576 etc) square pixel still image to PAL 720x576 rectangular pixel video, you should resample to 702x576, then pad with 9 black pixels to the sides so that the final image is 720x576.
To convert a 4:3 (2048x1536, 640x480 etc) square pixel still image to NTSC 720x480 rectangular pixel video, you should resample to 702x480, then pad with 9 black pixels to the sides so that the final image is 720x480.

Trying to get Anarmorphic footage in 16 X 9 Aspect ratio from PAL footage

Hi, I am currently doing some tests - having bought a new camera, the HVX-201 AE. I was trying to get a 16 X 9 Aspect Ratio on my finished test footage. I shot using DV Tape, using several options, the squeeze, letterbox and normal. I then captured using DV PAL Anamorphic..
On the timeline, it looks fine, with grey on top and below, with no black letterboxes, except for the section with letterbox format on. However, when I export to Quicktime, using the DV PAL 48hz Anamorphic codec, it keeps being saved as a quicktime file with 720 X 576 resolution. Is there any way for it to be 16 X 9? Do I have to use another codec or will it always be in a 5:4 aspect ratio no matter what I do?
Or is it that when a TV which can play in 16 X 9 detects it, then it shows up as a 16 X 9 picture?
Thanks for the help. I'm really confused.
Cheers.

That's what anamorphic means, it's a 16:9 image stored in a 4:3 frame. You maintain that throughout the post process and any dvd creation in order to utilise the maximum resolution available in sd. When you author the dvd it flags the footage as anamorphic, telling any dvd player you play it in to output it appropriately according to the way it's set up. If your dvd player is not set up properly for the monitor it's connected to it won't work correctly and you'll either see a vertically stretched image with no letterbox (4:3 monitor with dvd player set for a 16:9 monitor) or you'll see a vertically squashed image with narrow letterbox (16:9 monitor with dvd player set to 4:3. In this case you can get the correct aspect ratio if you set your tv to one of the 'zoom' settings; normally the next option after 4:3 as you cycle through the options, but you are then throwing away roughly 25% of the available resolution and the image will be a bit softer.)
In DVDSP you can set the simulator to mimic various set-ups in order to check how the disc will behave before you burn.
If you just want to create QTs then Nick Holmes advice is the way to go.

Text squeezing to wrong aspect ratio in PAL D1 Anamorphic project

For some reason when I have been typing text into a PAL D1 Ana'phic project the text looks squashed, when it should look normal.
Rather annoyingly it is my client who has noticed this after I have spent 2-3 days on a whole load of text graphics (18 projects)
Curiuously, I have just started a new project and the text behaves correctly.
Does anyone know why the problem may be occurring? The only other elements in the projects are red boxes created using the Motion Rectangle tool.
My only quick workaround is to go back into all the projects and change the 'x' scale of the text.
Any advice mucho appreciated.

This may be slightly off subject, but I almost always have to go to the distort aspect ratio (in FCP) and correct it for Motion 3 elements, whether they are files or renders. It is true of various project settings and both video and stills, both HD and DV. Usuallly there is a 33% distoriton and I simply adjust to 0%, render the timeline and all is well. I've seen this referred to a few times - is it a bug?

Changed H264 for Bly Ray settings to PAL, but "pixel aspect ratio" remains NTSC

I changed H264 for Bly Ray settings to PAL, but I can't change the "pixel aspect ratio" which remains NTSC. It remains grey and I can't find the way to unlock this.
What I miss?

It's a very strange behaviour. When I saw the template it was this way
Whereas, the preset put on the movie (in the batch window) became this way
Same of yours. I don't know why this happened... but I'm happy is the right way...

Aspect Ratio

Hello,
This question has baffled me for a while.
I create DVDs using FCStudio. During this process I have had a hard time understanding what I need to do to create a "native" screen size that looks as intended during playback on a Television that supports native 16:9 ratio.
My files are created using PAL 720 x 576.
Exporting to Quicktime and importing to DVDSP.
I've played around with the sequence settings with no luck.
What I'd like to know is why do my Purchased DVDs look great on a Television no matter if it's a 4:3 Television or a 16:9 Widescreen Television?
I never have to adjust any television settings to view the movie as intended.
However, My content looks great on a DVD player that is connected to a 4:3 Television. When I play the same DVD on a DVD Player connected to a Widescreen Television, I have to change the settings on the Television to 4;3 to view as intended-—Which is annoying the ** out of me!
I'd like to create content that is for Widescreen Televisions. If the DVD is played on a 4:3 Television I'd like to have the black bars Top and Bottom.
I also want to avoid having to adjust any TV settings. I have never had to adjust any TV settings for my DVDs in my DVD collection. If there is a way of doing this, a setting to change, new format, anything, I'd be very grateful for your advice.
Joe

Hi Denis,
This is a copy of the Summary, displayed in the Audio Video Settings Preference Pane in FCP
I then export to Quicktime .mov file--and import as an asset to DVDSP.
I hope you can see something out of place. 16:9 Anamorphic is set to OFF. If this is the problem I'd be extremely happy!!!
Frame Size: 720 x 576 Px
Edititng Timebase: 25 fps
Field Dominance: Lower (even)
Pixel Aspect Ratio: PAL - CCIR 601
Anamorphic 16:9: Off
Video Processing: YUV allowed (8bit)
White Point: White
Compressor: DV-PAL
Millions of Colours (24-bit)
No Data Rate Limit
No Key Frames Set
Quality: 100
Audio
16-bit 48,000 kHz Stereo
Powerbook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.6) 1.67Ghz 2G RAM
Powerbook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.6) 1.67Ghz 2G RAM
Powerbook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.6) 1.67Ghz 2G RAM
Powerbook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.6) 1.67Ghz 2G RAM

Aspect ratio driving me mad

Hi all.I live in Australia and have been having a hard time getting my head around this aspect ratio stuff. If you can be bothered I will give you the story of whats happening. I am recording my footage in dv wide screen mode with a sony HVRA1P. Next Step, I capture it into Final cut express HD. Once in, it is automatically given the anamorphic tick. So far, so good. Then Once I was happy with my project I saved it as a QT file - self contained. This is where the problems started. When I played the file back in QT, it was squashed into a 4:3 window. And when I burnt it to DVD, it also wouldnt play back in proper 16:9. Even though it was recorded in 16:9, and edited in 16:9.
I was then told by the supplier of my gear that I would need a little program called "Anomorphicizor". Basically what it involved was dropping my QT file onto this icon and doing a 'save as' on the file. this actually fixed the problem. It played 16:9 on a widescreen and on a 4:3 tv it letterboxed - exactly what I wanted it to do. However it Is another step that takes time and because I have lots of projects to output, it becomes a longwinded process.
Then one day I typed into google "16:9 files in QT". And I fell upon a site that had the following information:
Exporting 16x9 QuickTime Final Cut Pro
One of the really confusing issues about working with 16x9 in Final Cut Pro, is when you go to export a QuickTime movie and it comes out 4x3 instead of 16x9.
When exporting a Final Cut Pro movie, the system will use the current sequence or clip settings. If you are working in DV-standard def, your footage was brought in at 720 x 480.
Final Cut Pro uses an anamorphic aspect correction feature to make it easy to edit in 16x9. The problem is, when you export a QuickTime movie you end up with a movie that is tall and skinny squeezed into the standard 4x3 player window.
So, instead export your final movie using QuickTime Conversion, and then specify a size of 865 x 480. Then, you will have a QuickTime movie that plays within a 16x9 window.
This was very interesting reading, but still a bit confusing. Firstly it said that if I was working in dv standard def, my footage would be brought in at 720x480. This is not the case though. In my window the frame size is 720x576. It also suggests that I export my project using quicktime conversion and specify a size of 865x480, which will give me a 16:9 window. It did'nt say which compression settings to use so I just used DVPAL. Any I tried all of this and low and behold it actually paly back correctly and I didnt have to put it through the "anamorphicizor" program.
Now, if you are actually still reading all of this, then thankyou. I guess to sum all of this up, - What is the best way to save my fcp project so that it will play back 16:9 in QT, and on a dvd player.? Thankyou in advance, Matty

Thanks again Dave for getting back to me. All of your information is fantastic and is slowly starting to sink in. though if you could stay with me a tiny bit longer that would be great.
Firstly: When I drop my QT file into the anamorphicizor program, the result is great. it plays back widescreen on a 16:9 set and letterboxed on a 4:3 set. This is exactly what I want it to do. The only problem is that its another step in what is allready a fairly time comsuming process, considering there are a lot of projects that i have to create. If I was somehow able to bypass this "anamorphicizor" step, it would be great.
I think I mentioned to you that I did come across a web page that talked about exporting from QT. It suggested to export my final movie using QT conversion and then specify a size of 865x480. Now I wasnt sure if this setting was for ntsc or pal, but i tried it anyway. And it actually worked. It played back widescreen on a 16:9 set and letterboxed on a 4:3 set. - and I didnt even use the "Anamorphicizor" program. Is this the answer?. Is the setting of 865x480 correct? Are there other settings in the QT conversion stage that I need to be aware of - like the compression setting - least amount up to best quality? Am I asking too much of you Dave? I think I can answer that one! Thankyou in advance. Matty
Your resolution is 720x576 regardless of whether it
is 4:3 or 16:9. That's the native resolution for PAL
DV/DVD, and other metadata are used to determine
whether it is 4:3 or 16:9. If the clip is 4:3 then
it should display at 768x576; if it is 16:9 it should
display at 1024x576. See, the native pixel count is
actually narrower (in your case) than 4:3 (for me
it's actually wider). So if you look at an
anamorphic clip, it will be squeezed into the 720x576
narrower-than-4:3 window. But that's OK. All of the
data is there; it will be stretched back out when you
play back from a DVD. If you are going to a DVD, you
don't really care if the data files play back
stretched or squeezed or whatever on the computer, so
long as they get encoded correctly and behave
correctly for the DVD.
The Anamorphicizer doesn't do any conversion to your
file; all it does is to add something to the
QuickTime container so that iDVD will identify the
clip as widescreen (since iDVD doesn't give you an
option to do that yourself). I suspect that it just
adds the "wide" atom to the end of the file, but I
don't know that for certain. In any case, the movie
data itself is not changed, and I wouldn't consider
that to be any kind of "conversion". So don't worry
about recompression or anything like that from using
Anamorphicizer.
--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Pal dv aspect ratio

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