16:9 format help

[Malc]

Guys need some advice as I can't seem to figure out what's going wrong.

My camcorder is around 9 years old and doesn't have native 16:9 recording. All the clips are in 4:3 and used to fill a 16:9 screen, however no matter what I seem to do in VSP x3 the clips in preview are shown with black borders down the side and any format I try (Mpg avi etc) to export the movie has the same effect on the TV. I've tried ticking and un-ticking the 16:9 on the start menu and that has no affect on the results. Can someone tell me how to force VS to output a format that when viewed on a 16:9 TV it fills the screen

Thanks

[Ron P.]

Hi Malc,

Well we can if you could provide is with just a little more information. Since your camcorder is 9 yrs old, what type, make, and model is it? What video file format does it record to? How are you getting the files onto your PC? What project properties are you using in VS?

To determine the Video File properties, with a clip in the time-line or Library, right-click on it and select Properties, then post them here. For the Project Settings/Properties, go to the Settings menu, and select Project Properties, post them as well.

For Standard Def NTSC DV (avi) video, the frame size would be 720 x 480, this is a 4:3 ratio. To get the wide-screen ratio (16:9) you need to select that option for your project settings, and/or when you render your project to video file, press the Options button, and make sure the box is checked beside Perform non-square pixel rendering. It is this option that allows the 720 x 480 frame size to be a wide-screen 16:9 ratio.

One way to check and be sure that you are using a 16:9 in your project properties is to change the background color. Go to Settings>Preferences, at the bottom under the Preview window section, click on the small color block, which is black by default, to open a color palette. Change it to some other color. Now if your clip is 4:3 you should see the background color on the left and right sides (bars). If your clip is 16:9 widescreen, and you have your project properties set to a 16:9 ratio, you should not see the background color.

[Malc]

Hi Malc,

Well we can if you could provide is with just a little more information. Since your camcorder is 9 yrs old, what type, make, and model is it? What video file format does it record to? How are you getting the files onto your PC? What project properties are you using in VS?

Hi Ron, the camera is a Panasonic PV-GS65, 3CCD camera, which records to DV format

To determine the Video File properties, with a clip in the time-line or Library, right-click on it and select Properties, then post them here. For the Project Settings/Properties, go to the Settings menu, and select Project Properties, post them as well.

Clip and project properties attached

One way to check and be sure that you are using a 16:9 in your project properties is to change the background color. Go to Settings>Preferences, at the bottom under the Preview window section, click on the small color block, which is black by default, to open a color palette. Change it to some other color. Now if your clip is 4:3 you should see the background color on the left and right sides (bars). If your clip is 16:9 widescreen, and you have your project properties set to a 16:9 ratio, you should not see the background color.

Changing the background colour to something other than black doesn't change the colour of the strips down the side of the clip in preview window.

Hope this helps ?

[Ron P.]

Ok so you are using 4:3 PAL video, and need it to be viewable in wide-screen. You're left with a couple of options. You can go through and crop the 4:3 video so that it is wider and shorter. You can use the distort function to resize it, which generally will lead to unfavorable results, like the women appearing shorter and wider, not a cool thing to have happen to your wife, mother or mother-in-law..

How about using Black Lab's method of overcoming this? You can read it here---> http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewtopic.php ... 11#p183611

I've been putting together a family Christmas video, which uses clips spanning the last 10 yrs. I came across one where the videographer (not me), started out shooting 16:9, then switched shortly thereafter to 4:3. So I remembered Black Lab's approach and put it to use. Works great..

[Malc]

Thanks for the suggestions. Why does a 4:3 clip get stretched to fit the 16:9 preview when dragged to the overlay track, but reverts to having black bars either side when in the video track ?

[Malc]

Ron,

Is there any way of basically cropping the 4:3 top and bottom and then upscalling (correct term ?) the result to 16:9 ?

[Black Lab]

Please read Trevor's 16:9 guide and see if that helps.
http://lata.me.uk/video_studio/16_9/16_9.htm

[Malc]

Please read Trevor's 16:9 guide and see if that helps.
http://lata.me.uk/video_studio/16_9/16_9.htm

Fantastic - I've yet to test the clip I've just rendered, but that looks good on the preview screen.... and things don't look squashed - Thankyou

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi Malc

What version of Video Studio are you using, I’ve read the post but cannot see any reference.

The preview screen is made up of the frame size and the unused area around the frame, unfortunately we cannot identify these unless we change the background colour, as both are black.
Its sometimes difficult to decide if the black bars are part of the video frame or simply a border to fill the gaps. We can resize the preview screen to the video size. Drag the right hand side of the screen, “the 6 dots”, or the timeline up and down.

We can normally identify the frame by using the overlay track where the video will display as a small version. There is an option in Preferences-Edit tab to “Use fit to Screen in Overlay track” ( I think this may be ticked as default using X3)

X2 is the best version as the unused area is transparent, shown as a checker pattern, so the video shows in full without a black border.

[Malc]

Hi,

I'm using Video Studio Pro X3.

In the past I used Ulead's Media Studio Pro before Corel bought them out... I liked that a lot and preferred the layout etc. X3 seems to have a lot of the options invisible until you right click on something to bring up all the options. As you guessed I'm new to using this application !

[Malc]

Uhmm... not sure what is happening, but when played back (streamed to the TV from the PC) each clip still gets shown as a 4:3, but in the clips I've processed using that tutorial they are now compressed so people are tall and thin. I can't seem to get the processed clip which looks fine in the preview window to render to the same format (even though the templates state 16:9 and 1920 x 1080 when any of the HD templates have been chosen)

EDIT:

Ok I gave up rendering the clip to various formats and tried burning the modified clip to a DVD - playing the DVD worked - no black bars, 16:9 format, no squashed people. Looks like I'll just have to resort to making DVD's rather than running Nero home media server

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi Malc

Ok try this

From Preferences -- Tick– Show messages when inserting First Video
Start a New project then add your captured DV-Avi 4:3

You will be prompted to change the project properties, choose Details to view the properties.
Now select Yes, your project properties match the video files properties.
Go to Settings-Project Properties, edit these, alter only the Aspect Ratio to 16:9
Now modify the display by stretching/distorting the frame to achieve a full 16:9 screen.

Render the project
Share Create Video File – Same as Project Settings
This will create a new Dv-Avi using a 16:9 ratio.
This is the same type of video that you would get when capturing DV-Avi 16:9

Use this video file to convert to other formats, Share Create Video File – DVD, to create a Mpeg2 suitable for burning a DVD.
I do not understand why you require 1920 x 1080 when your original is 4:3 at 720 x 576, I’m sure there is a good reason.
Although the quote “you can’t make a silk purse out of a saws ear” comes to mind

[Malc]

Trevor,

Thanks for the detailed step through. I'll give it a go a little later as I'm in the middle of burning a disk at the moment.

Sorry if I confused you, the reference to 1080 HD res was that I tried converting the clip to any of the preset options for MP4 etc.... hoping that the resulted output would suit my HD TV. I realise it would never be upscalled to HD, just trying to find something that would work with the media server rather than having to burn and store DVD's.

Thanks once again, I'll update the thread when I've tried your suggestions

[Malc]

Strange... I followed your instructions (got a bit confused on the editing project preferences, which came up with a pop up window, selected edit, then on general tab changed the aspect ration to 16:9 - hope that was correct) - I then rendered the clip as suggested and then started a new project using that clip and tried re-rendering that as an mpg avi. The result when played on the PC was a 16:9 aspect clip.

Opened up the media option on the TV and selected that clip and still came up as compressed. I've downloaded some trailers for movies in 1080p format and they play fine. The DV-AVI format is not a recognized format when viewed through the media player on the TV so that's not an option.... I'm at a loss, but thanks for all your help.

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi Malc

What I was suggesting is to create an Avi to 16:9 out of the original 4:3 video which you seem to have done successfully.
Just to sum up

1/ capture the video to DV via firewire. Its 4:3 ratio
2 / loading the clips to the timeline , pop up window prompts you to match the project properties to your video file. Select yes.
3 / Edit your project properties changing the aspect to 16:9
4 / Modify the frames from 4:3 to 16:9 by using the distort option, as my Quick Guide
5 / Render the video to Same as Project Properties this will create a DV-Avi to 16:9

This video is what you would have got had you captured from a widescreen camera to 16 :9

Using this as your main video file you can convert to Mpeg 2 to create a file suitable for burning a DVD.

If the DVD does not play correctly on your TV then it may well be the TV aspect ratio settings.
I have several options from Auto, 16:9, 4:3, zoom and so on.