Preview Screen and Timeline Screen

[montgal55]

Hello Everyone:

I am viewing an MPEG2 file (converted from an AVI file) in the timeline, which is 16:9 ratio with no side black bars, which is what I want. The AVI file was high definition.

However, when viewing the Preview screen just above the Timeline, there are black bars (on the sides - left and right), making the picture itself smaller than the actually screen. It is 16:9 ratio.

Since I don't own a DVD player to test an authored DVD result, I have two questions:

a) why is the picture smaller (black bars on all sides) if the ratio is 16:9. Is there a way to get rid of the black bars from the sides.
b) If I leave it the way it is, how will the video be displayed on the DVD player? I don't want the video to look like it has shrunk in size during playback.

Your thoughts . .

Montgal55

[montgal55]

Hello Everyone:

I may have found the solution to the issue described earlier regarding the displayed video image in the Timeline screen differing from the Preview screen. And it was really simple. . .I think

My goal is always to preserve the aspect ratio of the original to the converted file (but it never happens that way because many video converters want to change the aspect ratio to something other than what you want). Same holds true when MFPro7 does the converting.

I experimented with MFPro7 settings by simply changing the aspect ratio from 16:9 to 4:3. And the video fitted to the screen. To my amazement, it worked. I was shocked. Because I don't know what really happened. I said to myself, "...what a minute. I wanted 16:9. So why did 4:3 give me that result?..." (i.e., why would the aspect ratio in the AVI file "seemed" 16:9, converted to MPEG2 as an 16:9, but when changing it to 4:3, it fits to the screen).

I have to continue to perform more experimenting to see what is actually happening in regards to pre-conversion and post-conversion. The aspect ratios do change after conversion to DVD-compliant MPEG2 files.

That particular parts is really frustrating.

Montgal55

[Ron P.]

What also seems to catch people off guard, is the non-square pixel rendering. If that is checked it will use rectangular pixels, instead of square pixels. PC monitors use Square pixels, whereas most TVs, older CRT ones especially use the non-square.

That can have an affect viewing on your PC..

[montgal55]

Hello Everyone and Ron:

Ron, thank you so very much for your input. I never thought of non-square pixel rendering. My concentration is producing DVDs for standalone DVD players. As for viewing a video on a PC, I simply use the VLC player, which can almost play any file perfectly.

But I think I found the solution to my cropping issue when coverting from AVI to MPEG2. I use MediaCoder to convert my files for DVD authoring in MFPro7. In the Picture tab, I choose Crop to Fit, which minimizes the black bars in all sides. To eliminate the bars on all sides, choose manual to open the Easy Cropper diabox. This is where you can manually resize the ratio of the screen - manipulating the bars.

Montgal55

[chrish]

Hi
Why are you converting the files
Moviefactory will take the AVI or any format on to its timeline
If you want a DVD from HD material just set MF to make a DVD put your HD material on the time line set MF to 16.9 and make your DVD MF will automatically convert you file
The result is a DVD that will play in 16.9 on a 16.9 TV or on a 4.3 TV it will play 4.3 letterbox ( no distortion )
Regards
Chris

[montgal55]

Chrish:

That is such a good question - "Why I'm I converting files when MFPro7 can perform that procedure with the video in the timeline".

Actually, that is what I really wanted in the first place -- to have MovieFactory 7 perform the conversions. However, the problem is when MFPro7 converts an AVI to MPEG2 with a 16:9 ratio, the resulting file usually has a distorted picture being squeezed when I preview it.

I became frustrated and decided to perform the conversion myself, independently, and have MovieFactory perform the only the burning process with no re-encoding. Frankly, it does not do a good job in keeping the original ratios. Or, giving you the desired ratios you want.

This is not soley a MovieFactory issue. I find that many of the DVD authoring programs (when converting from one format to another) will give you a different undesirable result., which is why I had to add an additional step in my DVD authoring projects --- converting the files myself with customize cropping.

Montgal55

P.S. This especially happens with AVI HD files. . .

[sjj1805]

Probably sounds daft BUT you have set your MovieFactory to 16.9 haven't you?

Here is a 16.9 video with MovieFactory in 16.9 mode


Here is the same video but with MovieFactory set to 4.3 mode

[chrish]

Yes I agree with the above post
I have used all combinations of video formats with 16.9 to 4.3 letting Moviefactory do the conversion you end up with a 4.3 letter box film
As said above make sure you have the 16.9 4.3 check box in the right order
Regards
Chris

[sjj1805]

chrish
Please do NOT keep making your posts/replies entirely in BOLD type.
I have edited your previous post.

[chrish]

OK !!
I did not know it was against the rules to use bold type

[montgal55]

sjj1805:

I reviewed your post (illustrations) regarding manipulating the settings in MFPro7 to aspect ratios 16:9 and 4:3.

Your illustration of 16:9 mode video is exactly what I have been attempting to achieve. In fact, since using MFPro7, I have never got the program to produce a full-screen preview. I didn't even think it even existed

My video projects has been resulting to 16:9, but MFPro7 always seems to want to put black bars in it: either at the top-and-bottom; left-and-right; or on all sides.

And yes. I have set my settings to 16:9.

My AVI files are even 16:9. When converting them, that's where "little green men" start to ruin the project.

As I was explaining to Chrish's response, I had to add an extra step in my DVD authoring process. Converting to DVD-compliant MPEG2 files myself. And not have MFPro 7 perform the conversion. It's just too unpredictable as to the file result in regards to aspect ratios.

Montgal55

[GregK]

OK !!
I did not know it was against the rules to use bold type

It's not that, Chris (you've done this before in another threads/threads)...Steve keeps telling you not to make your posts entirely in bold type. Part of your posts, yes, but not the whole thing.

[sjj1805]

montgal55
I know you have told us your source files are High Definition avi.
However..... I have a collection of frequently used replies including:

....It's an AVI file ......

Sorry but that doesn't help much.
There are a small handful of file extensions that describe that a computer file is a video. These include
avi, mpeg, mov, rm, wmv, qt, swf
Plus a few others.
Think of these as groups of a certain form of video, within those groups are lots of individuals. Liken this to animals, there are dogs, cats, snakes, birds, rodents and so on.
Within these groups are several types. For instance a dog can be a Poodle, Jack Russell, Alsatian, King Charles, Greyhound etc.

The term avi can mean any one of perhaps a hundred different types such as DV, MPEG4, uncompressed, MJPEG, DivX, Xvid, RLE, YUV, Cinepak and lots more.

You need to be more specific.

So if you could clarify that point for us it will help.
Next we need to know a bit more about these source files, is your camcorder one that records onto a tape, a DVD disc, an SD card etc.
Then we need to know how you are getting that video into the computer from the camcorder.

It will also help if you let us have the following information (you can get this by right clicking the video on the time line):
Codec (See above about 'avi')
Dimensions e.g. 720 x 576
frame rate e.g. 25 fps
Ratio e.g. 4:3
Video data rate: e.g. 8000 kbps