Transcoding 16:9 to 4:3 Letterbox

I am trying to convert 16x 9 footage to 4x3 letterbox. What are the settings I should use.
Thanks
Jeff

Make a new standard definition sequence and place your edited 16:9 sequence inside it.

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HD (letterbox) will not appear on DVD when Quality is set to 16:9 or 4:3

Been around the block on this so far, not real solutions and it was suggested to post here.
The footage is all ingested as CineForm codec, exported out as separate songs to MPEG2, then built in Encore, buttons etc. Minimal tweaks.
MPEG2 because Dynamic Link craps out and chooses one camera over actual multicamera edits, drops titles, effects etc. depending on which song it wants to burp up on.
The DVD defaults are grayed out, and a tag on the bottom of the box indicates that the specs can be changed at any time using Projects settings, which gets the same grayed out choices as defaults, useless it would seem.
Switching to Quality setting, there are options for DVD including 4:3 or 16:9 and so far neither, and or none of the DVD Quality settings, custom or otherwise will allow the DVD to burn anything that has the "black" lines above and below with the letterbox look on the SD DVD when played in a standard machine.
On the computer, everything looks fine with WMP or VLC but take the DVD to an older Toshiba TV with a player built in and the safe areas from Premiere are all that appear.
Challenge is why, how can this be affected pre build and, should one simply ingest and edit with something other than HD 1080, so Encore doesn't step on the final image?
Too late, the product hits on Monday but round two is in January.
So far, one suggestion in this forum is to export the HD MPEGs to Nero etc. and burn in that software.
Is Encore shy of this concept, or is CS5.2 too old to negotiate the terrain, or is it pilot error?
All comments are appreciated.
Thanks,
Rob

Hi Stan and Ann,
Usually when something is amiss, in my case it's pilot error.
What Stan offered (which settings in AME?) looks to be the culprit.
I had a friend, a DP over before this project was exported and he said to transcode using MPEG2.
Another posted response via an Adobe thread or Creative Cow (not sure) also implied exporting as MPEG2 when I was getting poor results from Dynamic Link as explained above.
This morning as I checked the kind responses from you both, I opened Premiere, took the suspect file which fails in DL, opened export and checked the settings.
I was so rigid in following the advice as "MPEG2” that I never looked at the rest of the menu choices.
As follows when MPEG2 is hovered: "Recommended for High Quality HD playback locally on a computer for HDTV 24 1080p source file or sequence"
This explains why the concert plays fine in VLC etc.
When MPEG2-DVD is hovered: "High Quality Output with TV Standard, Frame Rate, Field Order, PAR set automatically based on source."
The timelines are all exported as MPEG2, not as MPEG2-DVD which may explain why the 16:9 image is truncated on a DVD player.
I will head to Frys and buy more DVDs for a test burn, but, this seems to be what may be the issue at this point.
In explaining perhaps I've confused you both but what happens when the MPG2 is played on a DVD machine, the image defaults to (generally) what are considered the safe areas grid in Premiere which I edit with turned on to be sure titles stayed in the DVD viewable area.
I think then perhaps the mystery is solved.
Two more questions then, if you feel inclined.
1) Since we are on the subject, the drop down menu offers several choices when using MPEG2-DVD: Match source attributes, in High, Draft and Highest quality, NTSC 23.97 Widescreen High Quality, NTSC Progressive High, NTSC Progressive High Widescreen and Progressive Widescreen High.
2) For a duplication house (as software authoring is not as good as hardware) what format is best for delivery to them with the choices being DVD drop down: Disk, Folder, Image, Master or DDP image?
Given my missteps so far, are there settings either of you suggest that work best here for the footage based upon your collective experience?
Many thanks to you both for helping me gnaw off my paw from the trap I stepped into.
I'll let the label know once I burn a new DVD.
Rob

Can you encode an flv in Compressor with letterbox bars?

I am trying to encode a 1280x720 Quicktime movie to a 320x240 flv. I have compressed it 8 times already varying settings each time to get it to not squish the content to fit the 320x240 frame to no avail. Each separate setting squish the video. I believe "Padding" the top and bottom of the frame is the way to go, but the controls are deactivated when encoding an flv. I have read through he pdfs and have found no help. I even relaunched the software thinking it might be glitching up.
Any thoughts?

What version of Compressor are you using? You could transcode to an intermediate format first, i.e. ProRes or Photo JPEG @ 75% quality, and letterbox it that way, before encoding to FLV.
From http://codecs.onerivermedia.com/ - 4:2:2 Compressed Codec Formats
PhotoJPEG at its highest 100% quality setting is actually a 4:4:4 codec. When reduced down to 75%, it switches to 4:2:2 to help with the compression scheme. So why is it included here? The AJA Kona SD and Blackmagic Design DeckLink use this codec at 75% quality for its default offline compressed mode and with good reason. Virtually no banding in the gradients and average mosquito edging on the RGB colors. The compression artifacts are really only noticeable in the NTSC color bars and a little in the color filter test. And look at the x10 generation test... almost a pixel-perfect copy of the first generation! It actually passes through generations better than Kona's own 10-bit Trillions codec. Amazing! And look at that file size! Only 2.7 MB per second! That's better bandwidth (and way better quality) than DV can ever dream of. This codec truly can pass for an online codec with no problem. Best part is this codec is free to any QuickTime user, can be used on any platform and runs great even on PowerBooks.
To automate the process, you can select your job and choose New Job With Target Output from the Job menu, and add your FLV setting there.

16:9 video in Encore- Can I get it letterboxed on a TV?

There are a number of aspect ration threads I've found, but none that quite solve my issue. I have an Encore CS4 project that includes a number of video clips. All but one of them are 4:3 and play fine on a TV. But I have one video that is 16:9 (1280x720) and it is getting squeezed when it plays from disc. (I note that because when I export as Flash and play it, the 16:9 video looks great.)
Is there a setting I can change to have this video play in letterboxed form on a non-widescreen TV?
Thanks!
bobby
UPDATE: Based on other posts I have tried a couple of things, but with no success. I used the 'Interpret Footage' option to try and change the pixel aspect, but no change there. I also went back and deleted the asset, reimporting it and changing the transcode settings as I did. Also no change once I burned it to disc. The video still plays back as a 4:3 image, squeezed to fit.
Any suggestions out there?

Yes, the project is SD. But the asset I am dealing with was created in Flash originally at 1280x720 and then exported as a MOV.
I played with it in Premiere and can export it at 4:3, faking the letterbox somewhat, but it's not perfect.
I also experimented with the DVD player settings, but not a perfect solution there either.
Thanks for any ideas you might have.

Encore CS4 Issues - No Audio & 4:3 Letterbox Colored Artifact

Vista 64 Ultimate, Quad 6600.
I have exported SD 16x9 video from Premiere using the preset with the exception of sliding the quality to 5. It is using Dolby as well. The MPEG-DVD video looks and sounds great in WMPlayer. In Encore, I have set the Max bit-rate to 7 instead of 8, as everyone says to be compatible with all DVD players you should do this. I use a 16x9 project in Encore as to allow full screen on 16x9 tvs and then letterbox on 4:3s. First of all, no audio whatsoever. Second, on the 4:3 screen, there are colored horizontal noise lines skipping in and out of the bottom of the video. On a 16x9 screen tv, there is what appears to be slight interlacing, definetly not crisp video. Encore DID re-transcode...possibly this caused the issues? Note there is no audio in the monitor timeline in Encore before burning either. In CS3 it was always said that you should export AVI and then use encore to transcode. Is this carying over? Please, any other suggestions on the problems listed are appreciated.

If you source .mpg file in En is muxed (audio and video together in one file) and Encore re-transcodes the video, then the audio will be processed as well.
Export from Pr as separate elementary video and audio streams, then add those to the timeline in En.
Finally, and most importantly, if En is re-transcoding your MPEG2 DVD footage from Pr, then you have done something wrong during the Pr export.

PPro2 best bitrates for transcoding in AME to DVD

Hello. I have created a 165-minute movie (including 8 minutes of motion menus) to be authored with menus/chapters in TMPG Authoring Works 4. I'm exporting from PPro2 via Adobe Media Encoder for transcoding to mp2, and have space left over due to my current bitrate settings: 1.5 minimum, 6 target, 8 maximum. The resulting master will be factory-replicated with glass master. Audio will be transcoded to stereo AC3 only; no subtitles.
TMPG is showing that my current movie size is 7.323GB. I would like to increase my bitrate settings in AME for the best possible visual quality, but I've read various limit recommendations of 7, 8, or at most 9mbps for the max setting. I will burn to Verbatim DVD+R DL which shows a usable space of 8.025GB. Can I assume that factory replicating will avoid DVD player compatability problems due to high bitrates?
My Bit Budget Calculator v.2 gives a maximum video-only bitrate of 9.352mbps, average bitrate of 6.594, and a video-only target bitrate of 6.146. The target number is easily doable, but I wonder if I dare boost the max to 9mbps (which Bit Budget Calculator says should not be exceeded), while keeping the minimum at 1.5
Any advice about bitrates will be appreciated. Thank you.

Hi Jim et al.
I wanted to update this thread since I figured out where my problems originated and how to solve them. I received advice from Adobe forum, videohelp.com, and doom9.org, and I am grateful to all those who commented.
First, Ann, my last WinXP re-installation was in 11/08. Lacking an XP CD, it required taking my computer to a shop for hours of billable work, so I am not eager to repeat that. My experiences since Sept.2010 suggest that my computer was not causing the various problems.
I had been getting various artifacts in my AVI lossless encoding using Lagarith and UT. There is a "gallery" of screenshots of these artifacts at:
http://forum.videohelp.com/threads/326242-artifacts-created-by-Lagarith-UT-unable-to-impor t-into-HC?p=2021174#post2021174
I attempted my same workflows in PremiereCS3, but again got artifacts. Poisondeathray wrote: "I think this is a PP2 problem . The lagarith artifact looks very familiar - I remember reading about incompatibilities with PP2. I don't recall seeing any of these after CS4 or 5." A thread at doom9 commented on PPro2's shortcomings: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=107558 This thread includes the suggestion: "I choose Microsoft AVI. Then I go to the video menu, and choose None for the codec." But for me none of the "uncompressed" settings ever worked--the output was always gibberish.
Through trial and error, I found that Huffyuv (version 211 only) produced no (or the fewest) artifacts. Huffyuv 211 worked for me, so I've been using it for processing crucial movies and for archiving.
I had been getting repeated error messages when trying to use an AviSynth script in HC-025. MT mode was not needed in the script, after all. Poisondeathray wrote: "If you used lagarith or UT directly from PPro2, it will be RGB and you need to convert to YV12 , if it's interlaced add interlaced=true
Avisource("F:\Exports\CopyofMontage1.post.avi")
ConvertToYV12()
or
Avisource("F:\Exports\CopyofMontage1.post.avi")
ConvertToYV12(interlaced=true)
The second script worked for me. For future readers, I stress the importance of filling-in HC's output and log names+locations before encoding, and of selecting "Make DVD compliant." Here are the settings for my letterboxed 4:3 movie:
Having learned how to use HC-025, I ended up not using it in my workflow. Since I definitely wanted to use TMPG Authoring Works 4 (TAW4) for authoring, I brought three samples into it for comparison:
1) plain AVI exported directly from PPro2 with no lossless encoding. 2) AVI with Huffyuv-211 lossless encoding. 3) AVI with Huffyuv-211 processed through HC-025. #3 produced the least clean footage--HC added barely visible "borders" around the feet of letters in text, an artifact that was not present in #1 and #2. Since #1 and #2 looked the same, I ended up using #2: AVI with Huffyuv-211 imported into TAW4.
TAW4 with its onboard Intercom MPEG-Video Transcoder and its video settings probably made a great contribution to my DVD's visual quality. TAW4's video settings are not obvious; they're at the upper left when in "Source" view. For each Track, click Settings>Video, and make your selections. 8000 bitrate is the highest recommended by Craig Hanna at DiscMakers, with 1550 bitrate as the minimum (which answers one of my earliest questions in 9/10), and 6050 for average bitrate for my particular file size. Then click Video Encoder Advanced Settings and choose Highest (with error correction). Here are my settings for my 172-minute DVD-9 (grab lower-right corner and stretch image to read better):
Thank you. --Best regards, SamB.

Transcoding MPEG-2 Video, MP2 Audio

I have Adobe Media Encoder CS6 as part of the CS6 Design and Web Premium bundle. I am trying to transcode a 58-minute, 5.3 GB video into MPEG-4/H.264. However, I'm running into difficulties using AME for this task.
First, when I open the video and adjust the settings, I don't get a preview. I can adjust the playhead to any point in the video, and I don't see anything; the input and output panels are both black. This makes it difficult to adjusting the cropping, which is important because the source video contains letterbox black regions that I need to cut out. It also makes it impossible to check for distortion (stretching, etc.) prior to encoding.
Second, AME says the source video has "No Audio". I know this to be false, because I can play the source video using QuickTime X and there is definitely audio there. Also, the shareware app ffmpegx can convert the video with the audio intact, but it is a more difficult application to use, and I think I could get better results using AME if I could get it to work.
According to ffmpegx, the source video has these tracks:
Video: MPEG-2, 720x480, 12000 kbps, 29.97 fps
Audio: MP2, 48000Hz, 256 kbps
Any help would be much appreciated!

Hello,
Unfortunately, Desgin and Web Premium doesn't have the MPEG2 license, and AME cannot process MPEG2 video.
In this case, AME should show you a warning message and shouldn't allow you to open those files in the first place. But, it seems you could open your MPEG2 file. What is your extention of your file? Do you have any additionaly Adobe application installed besides Desgin and Web Premium?
If AME supports MPEG2 due to an additional Adobe application installed such as Premiere Pro which has the MPEG2 license, the audio should be imported together if the file is multiplexed (Video and Audio combined in one file). If not multiplexed, video portion and audio portion are in separate files and importing this video file shows "No Audio".

Dynamic Linked DVCPROHD 720 PPro sequence = letterbox!!!

Encore CS5, but it may as well be CS4, for that matter: whilst sending a DVCPROHD 720p/24pN sequence to Encore, the transcode always defaults to a 4:3 letterbox M2V file, even if I manual set the transcode settings. Is there something I'm missing, or is this just a bug that is not/will not be squashed?
And yeah, I can always transcode from Premiere, but that's not what I paid for...
<grr...>
Thanks...

DVCPRO HD size is 960x720 with PAR 1.3333 and it's not a blu-ray legal size. Blu-ray supports 1280x720 with PAR 1:1. So If you want to create a Blu-ray or DVD using DVCPRO HD sequences in Encore CS5, you need to import a 1280x720 size sequences instead of 960x720.

HT4589 How do I move video clip clip up or down after setting letterbox, i used to be able to do this until i upgraded to 10.0.6

I used to be able to manually move my video clip up and down in the event the browser using one of the settings. It was a vertical settings that i would use to pull a video clip down after i applied a letterbox to the clip, so I could see the top of the the video clip that got blocked out by the letterbox. Still looking no luck....I used to be able to do this just upgraded to FCPX 10.0.6 now i dont have the setting..

think i might have solved my own problem the feature is not there i have to upgrade again to 10.0.7...this is getting annoying...

Need to convert 16X9 to 4:3 letterbox for DVD

Hello
Can anyone tell me the settings I need to convert 16X9 to 4:3 letterbox for DVD. I am mixing other 4:3 letterbox content. Evertime I make an mpeg with Quicktime conversion it is squeezed. I want it to be letterbox in 4:3
Thanks in advance.
I am using Final Cut Pro 4.5 and DVD pro 3
Regards,
Dana Gonzales

In addition to using the advice above, make sure in Compressor (or other item you use to encode) that you are using the 16:9 encode ratio. If you are using QT conversion (which it sounds like from Final Cut?) also make sure that ratio is checked. Unlike a 4:3 m2v which will be 720 x 480 when you open it in QT, the 16:9 will be 720 x 404

Why is iMovie 6.0.3 vertically letterboxing clips that were created at 360x180?

I'm trying to import stock clips from istockphoto.com and some will import at that resolution, others are importing with vertical letterboxes as though they were PAL or NTSC, squashing the image vertically. I've tried starting with DV Widescreen and both HDV options that iMovie HD gives me.
Is there a workaround for this bug that I can't find after hours of scouring the web? Is there another iMovie version I can upgrade to with at 10.4.11 OS ? I realize my OS is practically ancient in computer time (4 years!!!) but I have no Intel processor. If you haven't passed out yet from my outdatedness, any helpful help would be appreciated.
Can anyone help? Please?
Thank you!

Hi, Bengt,
+I think there is a difference between 6.0.3 and 6.0.4. Had problems with 0.3 after+
+installing iLife08 that was OK after 6.0.4 up-grade. (PPC dG5)+
That's why I said 'reportedly.'
I think you are correct. I, too, am suspicious of a difference, and I also downloaded version 6.0.4. I did the download as soon as I saw it on Apple's site after getting my new iMac.
I did have the prior iM6 version that I ported over from my old iMac, too. I am sure that I transferred all my old stuff before downloading 6.0.4, but I didn't run into any problems with it not installing.
Regards,
Beverly

Dynamic link in Encore to get AE project, bluray, after transcoding, file still shows untranscoded

Hi,
I have an After Effects file. I have several comps that are 1920x1080 at 29.97 drop frame. When I go to Encore, I use, Import After Effects Composition and import several compositions from my AE project. I've tried using both Automatic transcode settings and I've tried to set the settings myself. When I transcode, Encore goes through the motions, but when it's done, the file still shows "Untranscoded". I have checked the project folder and confirmed that the transcoded files are indeed there, but Encore still shows them as untranscoded. What is going on?
Thanks,
Stan

Hi,
Transcod your comp in AME. Choose H.264 Blu-Ray if you have more than 2 hours videos.
Bye
Steph

Need widescreen, not letterbox, when hooking up to TV through composite

I've read a few unanswered posts on this subject. I have a macbook that I want to hook up to a HDTV through a mini-DVI to composite adaptor. When I do this it restricts the available resolutions to letterbox (4:3) resolutions (640x480, 1024x768, etc..). What do I have to do to get this to work properly? I know for a fact that you can put 16:9 through composite cuz thats how my wii is hooked up and its fine.
Side note:
It seems like every time I hook up a mac to a new monitor/TV this same problem occurs. Whoever came up with the idea of restricting resolutions at apple need a swift kick in the pants.

This sounds similar to a limitation of the Intel mini. Oddly the G4 mini with ATI graphics had no problem outputting wide format video from the Apple to S-Video adapter. So I guess the limitation is in the Intel driver. Certainly other Macs have no problem putting out S-video and composite video in wide formats.
You may be able to get around the Intel driver limitation using SwitchRes X, but I'm not sure of it. Basically you would start with a standard timing like 800 x 600 and make a custom scaled timing from it. The result would still be a 4:3 timing but the video inside that format would be wide, if that makes sense. Then you would set your TV to a wide mode and that would restore "square pixels" so to speak.
Again, I don't know if that would work or not. The Intel driver might intervene and not let SRX build the kind of timing I am describing.

Can I trim without doing ANY transcoding?

I have video files in MOV and M4V which are H264. Those files play beautifully from a website but they are too long. I have QuickTime Player Pro 7.6.9 so I'm intending using it to edit them (by which I mean just trim them - no fiddling with anything else).
These MOV and M4V files have already been transcoded. When I "Export" them from QTP the quality seems to degrade. I've read that transcoding more than once may degrade the video quality. It looks as if every option available to Export them from QTP involves more transcoding of some sort.
Is there a way that I can edit (ie just trim) them in QTP but have it export the files exactly as they are now, without touching the coding at all?

Currently the file sizes are large. I was hoping that trimming to the few minutes I want would reduce the file size.
If you trim the clip properly before copying the trimmed portion to a new file container, only the desired content will be contained in the new MOV file making the file size smaller. How much smaller, of course, depends on how much of the clip you trim and remove.
If I'm understanding you correctly, QTP will mark the In and Out points but when I use 'Save as.." it will leave the full file size intact (??) and still upload to the server the full 15 minutes worth of file (??) and visitors to the website who are using mobiles may view the full 15 minutes still???
No. What I said was that if you "mark" the content you wish to keep and then use the "Trim to Selection" option to create a "timeline" only containing the segment of the file you wish to keep, the, when you use the "Save As..." command, only the trimmed content will be copied to the new MOV file.
On the other hand, if you just mark the content without physically trimming it, then the entire movie will be copied to the new file along with the markers which only the QT Player, iTunes, etc. will then play correctly while apps like VLC will continue to play the whole file. In addition. If you use the "Save" command to keep the data in its original file container, then only the markers are saved and the file still contains all of the original data plus the newly added markers.
I repeat, to create a "smaller" file with only the trimmed data in it, you must mark, trim, and write the desired data to a new MOV file container. Thereafter you simply replace the current online files with the new one(s) you've created. You can then decide whether or not you want to keep or delete the original file and simply keep the new file.

Compressor problem. transcode failed

Hi,
I'm using Compressor to transcode H.264 footage from a Canon DSLR to apple prorez 422 LT. Dragged in several clips to compressor, added settings and destination. Hit submit. Went to sleep. Came back in morning and transcode had FAILED. Tried again with a very short clip. No progress was made in "time remaining" window -- no time even came up, and the progress bar did not start turning blue at all. Finally i cancelled the operation.
What am I doing wrong?
Thank you,
Eve

If you continue to get the 3X Crash error after following the advice you've got in this thread, my suggestion would be to download another one of Digital Rebellion's products – Pro Maintenance Tools. PMT has a Crash Analyzer that reports causes and recommendations. It's a paid app (suite of apps) but you can download a short trial.
The error means that the Compressor Transcoder has failed (ya think?) and it's not one of the more obvious ones to sort. The one time I had it was fixed by uninstalling Perian; I must have read about a conflict somewhere,
Russ

Transcoding 16:9 to 4:3 Letterbox

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