Unable to get HD Wide Screen 16:9 to fill the screen on TV.

Question

12/20/08
Problem: I am not able to get HD Wide Screen 16:9 to fill the screen on TV. Leaves dark bands on the top and bottom of picture.
What I'm working with: Mac Pro Quad-Core Intel Xeon Processors with 2GB Memory soon to be 6GB & 30 inch screen. QuickTime Pro 7.5.5, Final Cut Express 4.0.1, and iDVD, 7.0.2.
New JVC, GZ-HD3U camcorder with QuickTime conversion software, recently updated, provided by JVC with the camera to change native TOD. files created in the camcorder to native MPEG2 files in Quicktime at a size of 1920 x 1080.
Two TV's, one Wide Screen HD and the other standard screen. I have changed the TV aspect rations back and forth from 4:3 to 16:9 and the only thing that changes is the size of the black bands on the top and bottom of the screen. The black spaces are larger in 16:9, making the picture appear squeezed.
I am using RW DVD discs so I can continue to try different setups without wasting discs and so far I have tried about 12 different arrangements. Two methods work but they are export conversions to a 4:3 aspect ratio and 720X480DV/DVCPRO-NTSC. Certainly this is a work around, but doing this looses the Wide Screen HD effects provided by the original JVC movies.
When I import the clips, and I've tried a number of different imports from QuickTime to Final Cut Express, I make sure that the Sequence set up matches or comes as close as possible to the imported clips. I've tried exporting them from FCE without changes and I have exported them using QuickTime to change them to different formats using nearly everything available trying to get the clips or sequences ready to import to iDVD.
In iDVD I have set up using both aspect ratios and it appears as thought setting up in 16:9 makes the spaces above and below even larger on TV. In fact it creates these spaces above and below even on the 720X480DV/DVCPRO-NTSC clips that work just fine on the 4:3 aspect ratio settings on the same TV.
If anyone has overcome this problem, I would greatly appreciate your guidance. So far, I've spent over a 100 hours on it to no avail.
Larry

Answer 1

Tom, I don't know where to go in FCE to create a AVCHD AIC Sequence. I can find the
1920X1080i60 in the Sequence format without any problem. And in QT don't know where to select AIC but I select Apple Intermediate Codec, and under compressor I select HDV 1080i interlaced frame rate 29.97. Under Export Size Settings I don't know rather to select 1920 x 1080 HD or HD 1920 x 1080 16:9 and what about preserve aspect ratio using and Deinterlace Source Video?
Part two: When I create a Sequence in FCE with the 1920X1080i60 designation, and then import a QT HD 1920X1080 16:9 Intermediate Codec clip into a bin and then open the clip in that sequence I'm asked if I want to match the clip to the sequence and if I don't I have rendering. If I match them the rendering, as you said, goes away. However, I notice that when I check out the Item Properties on them after the above process, the Aspect ratio in the clip and Sequence, suddenly becomes HD 1440x1080. Is this normal?
Larry