Fx-1 to (ahem) VHS?

[Darin Boville]

O.K., amybe I'm missing something obvious.

I have a request to dupe a series of tapes I shot with the FX-1 to VHS.

I want to simply dupe them--no editing, no computer, etc. Low work, high speed is the key to meeting this job's price point.

I shot in HDV (widescreen, of course). When I dupe to VHS I get a sqeezed image. I want a letterboxed image.

Is there a setting or a workaround? I know I can take it into Final Cut and adjust things but that will take too much time--I would love to do it direct.

Alternatively, is there a direct-to-DVD recorder that will unsqueeze and add the black bars? I would be happy to buy a new box if that was the right answer.

Thanks,

--Darin

[Mack Fisher]

Is your TV option on your camera at 4:3 or 16:9?

[Boyd Ostroff]

The Z1 has a choice of 4:3, Letterbox and squeeze in the downconvert menu. Not sure if the FX1 has these however. But the DVD recorder is really a much better idea - instead of making VHS tapes. Or did you just want to use the DVD recorder as a pass-through to do the letterboxing on a VHS tape? If so, then I'm not sure it will work. Well, at least on my Sony RDR-GX7 you can't do this.

But you can record an anamorphic DVD, which would give you the highest quality from your FX1. When an anamorphic DVD is used on a player connected to a 4:3 TV then the player will do letterboxing.

But check the specs on the DVD recorder before buying. Make sure it has the option of creating a 16:9 DVD. Awhile ago we had a thread where someone went through several models of inexpensive DVD recorders which couldn't do this.

[Chris Barcellos]

Under the in/out menu, you can select TV type you are going out to. I am guessing that will automatically letter box the output for you if you select 4:3 and take it out by composite to the VCR.

[Darin Boville]

Just getting back to this job--

Thanks for all the posts--the TV selector menu item worked like a charm--bravo!

--Darin