DVDA - Mixing aspect ratio (4:3 and 16:9) problems

[Robb Swiatek]

Now I researched this a bit in the forum already and this (http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/what-hap...4x3-setup.html) is basically the problem I'm having only my 4:3 footage was rendered out correctly (stretch video box is ALWAYS unchecked).

So in a nutshell....

16:9 DVD menus (good)
16:9 edited footage (good)
4:3 edited footage (bad, stretches horizontally to fill on widescreen television)

I want the 16:9 parts of the DVD to fill the screen as they do (on widescreen) but I want the 4:3 to be pillarboxed. I thought I had successfully made a DVD before that included both 4:3 and 16:9 footage before but apparently not. Can someone point me in the right direction?

[Dale Guthormsen]

Rob,

could you not do all the work in Vegas, get it right, then render it so the entire master is the same? then bring that in to DVD ARc?

[Robb Swiatek]

I'm not quite sure what you mean Dale? The aspect ratios of each respective edited piece are correct. I'm working with pieces shot both in HD and SD and am not about to kill the quality of the SD clips by making them widescreen. I did another test with DVDA and put all the clips into a music compilation and with that each respective 16:9 and 4:3 clip plays as it's supposed to. It's only when a 4:3 piece is played solo that it gets stretched when it should be pillarboxed.

[Richard Hunter]

Hi Robb. You can set the pixel aspect ratio in DVDA. Double click on the 4:3 clip and select Track Media. Click on the Video tab and then Media Properties. It's possible that your clips are being interpreted as 16:9, if so you just need to change the Pixel Aspect Ratio parameter here.

Richard

[Randall Leong]

Originally Posted by Robb Swiatek

I'm not quite sure what you mean Dale? The aspect ratios of each respective edited piece are correct. I'm working with pieces shot both in HD and SD and am not about to kill the quality of the SD clips by making them widescreen. I did another test with DVDA and put all the clips into a music compilation and with that each respective 16:9 and 4:3 clip plays as it's supposed to. It's only when a 4:3 piece is played solo that it gets stretched when it should be pillarboxed.

Unfortunately, most standalone DVD players automatically stretch 4:3 content to fill the entire screen when the DVD player's output is set to a 16:9 display because most DVD players lack aspect ratio flag detection. Because of this, all of the store-bought DVDs which have been mastered in 4:3 will also be stretched. Other than mixing 4:3 and 16:9 content in the same movie, there is no way at all whatsoever to fix this short of manually setting your TV set to display in 4:3 when you play back material that you know is entirely in 4:3.

Blu-Ray players, on the other hand, can be set to display 4:3 content from standard-definition DVDs as pillarboxed 4:3 even when connected to a 16:9 television set because most can properly detect the aspect ratio flags provided that the player has been properly set.

[Mark Stavar]

Hi Robb,

I have found the best solution for myself is, once the 4:3 project is edited, to it to 16:9 just prior to rendering and then then render using the wide-screen DVDA template.

It is a pain, as it does take longer to render, but it does work.

Ciao,

marks

[Randall Leong]

Originally Posted by Mark Stavar

Hi Robb,

I have found the best solution for myself is, once the 4:3 project is edited, to it to 16:9 just prior to rendering and then then render using the wide-screen DVDA template.

It is a pain, as it does take longer to render, but it does work.

This would only work properly if that video is to be played back exclusively on 16:9 equipment. But it would not work properly if that same DVD is to be played back on both 16:9 and 4:3 equipment (as it might happen if the DVD is to be shown in another room or family or friends with only 4:3 capable equipment): When played back on equipment set to display at 4:3, the image will be permanently windowboxed (or "gutterboxed") unless the authoring software is configured to insert the correct pan-and-scan flags in the rendered video(s)--and even then, the DVD player should be set to "Pan and Scan" instead of the factory default "Letterbox" for proper playback on 4:3-only displays. And that is not what I want in most cases.

[Jim Snow]

There is a way to do this right that is probably more trouble than you want to take. DVD Lab Pro allows you to put your 4:3 and 16:9 clips in different VMG's. In the navigation window of DLP, you link them together through a bridge. This resets the player when the different aspect ratios are played. This is transparent when viewing; you aren't even aware it takes place. The downside is the cost of DLP as well as its learning curve.

[Graham Bernard]

I have ONE DVD player that just refuses to recognise 4:3 and stretches it to 16:9, no matter WHAT I do. Solution, I render the 4:3 on top of 16x9 BLACK plate. This ways I am FORCING the 16:9 option by convincing the player it IS 16:9.

And here is another quirk. I then tried to change the colour of the BG plate. Not a problem. Well if that is the case I'll try reducing the ALPHA channel, and see just where this thing flips over? I have the stats, but it WAS in the region of 40%>48%. So, whatever the flag is doing - or not! - it is relying on some type of grasp onto an existing colour/alpha channel to be present to work.

Again, ALL of this happens with only one of my DVD players I take to clients. All my other players behave themselves.

Grazie