Using 4:3 monitor for 16:9 footage

[Curt Talbot]

I am using Vegas 8c with two computer monitors and an external 4:3 Sony broadcast monitor. I have used this arrangement for a number of years with standard DV footage. Recently I upgraded to a new computer and now wish to edit my AVCCHD footage from my Sony XR520. Everything works fine except that the picture on the external broadcast monitor is 4:3, not 16:9 (the picture also seems to be stretched vertically). It seems to me that it should show the 16:9 video from the time line with black bars on the top and the bottom. I achieved that result with the old setup so I am not sure what I am doing wrong.

Here are the settings: in Project Properties I have selected HD 1080-60i (1920x1080, 29.970 fps as the template. The Pixel aspect ration is 1.000 (square). The Video Preview window in Vegas shows a 16:9 picture without any black bars.

In Preferences - Preview Device I have selected NTSC DV Widescreen under Conform output to the following format. Changing these settings makes a difference on how the picture is displayed in the Video Preview window but none of the changes result in a 16:9 picture in the monitor.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Matteo Manson]

I believe you want a pixel aspect ratio of 1.33