iDVD widescreen problems at DVinfo.net

Avilee Goodwin · December 7th, 2009, 10:26 PM

I posted this one on the Open DV discussion before I found this forum, so I hope I'm not being annoyingly duplicative...

I've been fighting with iDVD, trying to get it to burn a widescreen-format DVD. My AVCHD camera shoots in widescreen format; when I create a movie through Final Cut Express, then make a DVD with iDVD, the resulting DVD will play in beautifully on my computer screen -- but when I play it on a TV/DVD player, it plays in full screen (with the sides cut off). One of the frustrating parts of this is that my DVDs do play just fine on the computer -- so I can't test to see if the problem is fixed without burning a DVD and then finding out I've made yet another coaster...

Here are the technical particulars:
camera: Canon VIXIA HF11
video editing software: Final Cut Express 4.0.1
DVD authoring software: iDVD '08, v. 7.0.2 (1100)

Here is what I have tried in working out the problem:

1. I have checked the "Project info" menu in iDVD, and ascertained that the project is, indeed, supposedly set in widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio.

2. I have gone back into the FCE "Easy setup" file and reset the format for "DV-NTSC Anamorphic" -- with no affect on the problem.

3. I have searched in Apple Support and found an article which advised me to export the movie file using QuickTime Conversion and then to reset the compression type, aspect ratio, and dimensions settings. I followed the instructions to the letter, and came out with a DVD which still played in full-screen format -- but also lost the chapter markers.

4. On the advice of several responders in the Apple Support discussions, I downloaded the "my DVD Edit" resource editor. Again, I followed the instructions to the letter, with no change whatsoever in the final outcome.

5. The one responder on the open DV discussions forum suggested I needed to change my DVD player's settings -- this seems very unlikely, since the problem has been the same with three completely different DVD players, none of which have any trouble recognizing any other anamorphic DVDs (only the ones I create in iDVD).

I am now completely at a loss (and judging by the discussions in Apple Support, I'm not alone) -- has anyone out there come up with an actual way to fix this?

thank you so much,
Avilee Goodwin

Anton Strauss · December 8th, 2009, 01:54 PM

it simply means that your DVD player still has the factory settings of 4:3 pan and scan

so go in DVD player setup menu and be sure you set to 16:9, providing your TV is 16:9

if your TV is 4:3, then set to 4:3 with letterbox option instead of the factory default pan/scan

December 7th, 2009, 10:26 PM	#1
Avilee Goodwin New Boot Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Richmond, CA Posts: 12	iDVD widescreen problems I posted this one on the Open DV discussion before I found this forum, so I hope I'm not being annoyingly duplicative... I've been fighting with iDVD, trying to get it to burn a widescreen-format DVD. My AVCHD camera shoots in widescreen format; when I create a movie through Final Cut Express, then make a DVD with iDVD, the resulting DVD will play in beautifully on my computer screen -- but when I play it on a TV/DVD player, it plays in full screen (with the sides cut off). One of the frustrating parts of this is that my DVDs do play just fine on the computer -- so I can't test to see if the problem is fixed without burning a DVD and then finding out I've made yet another coaster... Here are the technical particulars: camera: Canon VIXIA HF11 video editing software: Final Cut Express 4.0.1 DVD authoring software: iDVD '08, v. 7.0.2 (1100) Here is what I have tried in working out the problem: 1. I have checked the "Project info" menu in iDVD, and ascertained that the project is, indeed, supposedly set in widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio. 2. I have gone back into the FCE "Easy setup" file and reset the format for "DV-NTSC Anamorphic" -- with no affect on the problem. 3. I have searched in Apple Support and found an article which advised me to export the movie file using QuickTime Conversion and then to reset the compression type, aspect ratio, and dimensions settings. I followed the instructions to the letter, and came out with a DVD which still played in full-screen format -- but also lost the chapter markers. 4. On the advice of several responders in the Apple Support discussions, I downloaded the "my DVD Edit" resource editor. Again, I followed the instructions to the letter, with no change whatsoever in the final outcome. 5. The one responder on the open DV discussions forum suggested I needed to change my DVD player's settings -- this seems very unlikely, since the problem has been the same with three completely different DVD players, none of which have any trouble recognizing any other anamorphic DVDs (only the ones I create in iDVD). I am now completely at a loss (and judging by the discussions in Apple Support, I'm not alone) -- has anyone out there come up with an actual way to fix this? thank you so much, Avilee Goodwin

December 8th, 2009, 01:54 PM	#2
Anton Strauss Major Player Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 201	it simply means that your DVD player still has the factory settings of 4:3 pan and scan so go in DVD player setup menu and be sure you set to 16:9, providing your TV is 16:9 if your TV is 4:3, then set to 4:3 with letterbox option instead of the factory default pan/scan __________________ Anton Strauss www.videoproductions.com.au