Optura 40/30: Letterbox video to 4:3 TV? at DVinfo.net

Michael Wisniewski · June 4th, 2004, 11:07 AM

Do the new Opturas also output letterboxed video to a 4:3 TV?

On Chris Hurd's comparison review, he noted that the LCD shows 16:9 video with letterboxing so it's not squished anymore!

Chris Hurd · June 4th, 2004, 11:37 AM

Hi Michael,

I can confirm for you that the 16:9 output of the Optura Xi, 300, 40 & 30, and Elura 70 & 65 (all of which are the new "high resolution" 16:9 output) definitely send the wide screen video straight out, without letterboxing. The deal is that they're anticipating this feature to be used most often by owners of native 16:9 HDTV sets. So your analog input to a normal 4:3 TV or monitor is a "spaghetti western." The camcorder can't tell what kind of monitor it's hooked up to, so it has no way of switching a letterbox matte on or off over the analog outputs.

Also, even though the flip-out LCD display is letterboxed, the other LCD in the small viewfinder is not letterboxed.

Hope this helps -- see you again at DV Expo in July?

Michael Wisniewski · June 4th, 2004, 02:32 PM

Yup! I'll see you at DV Expo NY! See you there.

The "spaghetti western" look is quite fashionable nowadays here in New York ... :-)

Eric Hovis · July 11th, 2007, 01:32 AM

I use an Optura 30, and when hooked directly up to a normal 4:3 TV with the A/V cables the anamorphic image (I only ever use the widescreen mode, which is a true anamorphic widescreen mode rather than simply black bars) appears squished. However, whenever I burn Optura 30 widescreen footage onto a DVD using the "Widescreen NTSC" setting in DVD Architect on my PC, the DVD will play back with black bars at the top and bottom on my 4:3 TV and look like any standard widescreen DVD.

I'm a college student without much money, and that's why I made my first feature film using my handy Canon Optura 30. It works so well that I even had the characters in my movie using the same camcorder (I have two). If you're interested in seeing Optura 30 footage and screen grabs (most of which are unadjusted), then check out this page on my indie filmmaking web site. The image size is reduced from the original 873 pixels wide to 600 wide:

http://murrayfilms.net/page/primary/...matography.htm

For optura footage, check the Watch Movies page for the trailer for my movie, I Love Ashley Bailey, but keep in mind the trailer is compressed and that I've since learned to get even more out of the Optura 30. I highly, highly recommend this camcorder.

June 4th, 2004, 11:07 AM	#1
Michael Wisniewski Wrangler Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Makati, Metro Manila Posts: 2,706 Images: 32	Optura 40/30: Letterbox video to 4:3 TV? Do the new Opturas also output letterboxed video to a 4:3 TV? On Chris Hurd's comparison review, he noted that the LCD shows 16:9 video with letterboxing so it's not squished anymore!

June 4th, 2004, 11:37 AM	#2
Chris Hurd Obstreperous Rex Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Marcos, TX Posts: 27,368 Images: 513	Hi Michael, I can confirm for you that the 16:9 output of the Optura Xi, 300, 40 & 30, and Elura 70 & 65 (all of which are the new "high resolution" 16:9 output) definitely send the wide screen video straight out, without letterboxing. The deal is that they're anticipating this feature to be used most often by owners of native 16:9 HDTV sets. So your analog input to a normal 4:3 TV or monitor is a "spaghetti western." The camcorder can't tell what kind of monitor it's hooked up to, so it has no way of switching a letterbox matte on or off over the analog outputs. Also, even though the flip-out LCD display is letterboxed, the other LCD in the small viewfinder is not letterboxed. Hope this helps -- see you again at DV Expo in July? __________________ CH Search DV Info Net \| 20 years of DVi \| ...Tuesday is Soylent Green Day!

July 11th, 2007, 01:32 AM	#4
Eric Hovis New Boot Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Murray, KY Posts: 9	DVD fixes widescreen problems I use an Optura 30, and when hooked directly up to a normal 4:3 TV with the A/V cables the anamorphic image (I only ever use the widescreen mode, which is a true anamorphic widescreen mode rather than simply black bars) appears squished. However, whenever I burn Optura 30 widescreen footage onto a DVD using the "Widescreen NTSC" setting in DVD Architect on my PC, the DVD will play back with black bars at the top and bottom on my 4:3 TV and look like any standard widescreen DVD. I'm a college student without much money, and that's why I made my first feature film using my handy Canon Optura 30. It works so well that I even had the characters in my movie using the same camcorder (I have two). If you're interested in seeing Optura 30 footage and screen grabs (most of which are unadjusted), then check out this page on my indie filmmaking web site. The image size is reduced from the original 873 pixels wide to 600 wide: http://murrayfilms.net/page/primary/...matography.htm For optura footage, check the Watch Movies page for the trailer for my movie, I Love Ashley Bailey, but keep in mind the trailer is compressed and that I've since learned to get even more out of the Optura 30. I highly, highly recommend this camcorder.

June 4th, 2004, 02:32 PM	#3
Michael Wisniewski Wrangler Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Makati, Metro Manila Posts: 2,706 Images: 32	Yup! I'll see you at DV Expo NY! See you there. The "spaghetti western" look is quite fashionable nowadays here in New York ... :-)