Pro X4 HD to DVD Problem With Aspect Ratio

[martom]

Have been trying to find the secret to convert HD video to DVD without losing the aspect ratio. I have read through previous posts and tried various advice. DVDs still always come out with a long narrow picture on my HD TV with a black band on top and bottom of the picture. Would greatly appreciate any help with a solution to make this work. I'm wanting to send standard DVDs of our home movies, taken in HD MP4, to our friends and family.

[lata]

Hi

No secret as far as I know.

If you do Share Create Video File -- DVD -- DVD Video 16:9 then the resultant video file will be a compliant Mpeg2 widescreen 16:9 video.
You may wish to create yoiur own template using Make Movie Templates Manager

These are the settings I see, I am in the UK and using Pal, yours may be NTSC????????

MPEG files
24 bits, 720 x 576, 25 fps
Upper Field First
(DVD-PAL), 16:9
Video data rate: Variable (Max. 8000 kbps)
LPCM Audio, 48000 Hz, Stereo

If you view this on your pc then it should display correctly, I tend to use VCL Player.
There should be no black borders as part of the video frame.
---------------------------------
From Video Studio, with the new video file in the timeline, right click and select properties, what are they.?
--------------------------------
Go to F6 Preferences and change the background colour, anything but black
Now add the video to the overlay track, the video shows in a smaller frame, but does it contain black borders?
If yes then you have a problem an we need details of the original video file.
---------------------------------
If the rendered file shows as ok on the pc and has DVD-Pal/Ntsc, 16.9 then the problem is possibly the tv aspect ratio settings.

[martom]

Lata,
Thanks for your reply. I already did all the steps you described to convert to compliant MPEG2 16:9video. It reads as follows.

DVDNTSC
MPEG-2 Video, Upper Field First
24 Bits, 720 X 480, 16:9
29.970 frames/sec
Variable Bit Rate (Max. 8000 kbps)

My original file is Main Profile Video (MP4), and is 1920 X 1080.
If I plug my camera in directly to my HD TV, the original video plays at the right size for my TV. I'm in the USA. I did as you suggested and changed the background color. When I play the original video file or the MPEG-2 video, they both do have a black border on top and bottom when played full screen in Pro X4.

[lata]

Hi

The original video files.

with a colored background, place the clip in the overlay track.
The frame will be smaller, but is there a black border on the small frame.,
If yes then the black is part of the video, it is created in the camera, it is not a true widescreen, but 4:3 with a border added to simulate the widescreen shape.

If there is no black, yet it shows when viewing in the top track, are the project properties using 16:9 or 4:3. (Alt+Enter for Project Properties)
------------------------------------

With the clip in the overlay track.
Right click the preview screen and select Fit to Screen
Right Click and select Keep aspect Ratio.

Are you able to re-size and fill the screen, no colored background showing.

A little difficult to understand what is happening without seeing the screen?

Sorry but will be busy for a few days so wont be able to reply..........

[canuck]

Lata,
Thanks for your reply. I already did all the steps you described to convert to compliant MPEG2 16:9video. It reads as follows.

DVDNTSC
MPEG-2 Video, Upper Field First
24 Bits, 720 X 480, 16:9
29.970 frames/sec
Variable Bit Rate (Max. 8000 kbps)

My original file is Main Profile Video (MP4), and is 1920 X 1080.
If I plug my camera in directly to my HD TV, the original video plays at the right size for my TV. I'm in the USA. I did as you suggested and changed the background color. When I play the original video file or the MPEG-2 video, they both do have a black border on top and bottom when played full screen in Pro X4.

Do you think you could create a short clip (30 secs or so) with your camera and upload it to a free hosting site such as "Up4Down". We could then download it and play around with it. As "lata" says it is difficult to follow what is happening without seeing the screen.

[martom]

I shot a quick video clip with my camera which is a Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ150. The clip is just as it came out of the camera. It is shot in AVCHD at the best quality available in my camera. It is just under 1 minute long and is just under 200 MB. If this is too long or if the file is too large, please let me know. BTW, I took the video while sitting on a running 4 wheeler.

Oklahoma Home http://www.upfordown.com/files/download ... 01%29.m2ts

I changed the background color to bright green. I notice a narrow black border at the top and bottom of the colored background. It is quite noticeable when I bring it up full screen. I placed this file in the overlay track. There is no black border showing on the green background. I did the fit to screen and keep aspect ratio. The video covers all of the background. I did the same thing with one of my MP4 videos and a converted MPEG2 video. The results were the same. The background is fully covered but there is a black border at the top and bottom of the video......more noticeable at full screen. I'm starting to wonder if this is just a function of NTSC. I see online, that there are a few video softwares that can crop a little off the ends of the video and claim to avoid the problem I am having.

[lata]

Hi Martom

Thanks for the download link, not used Upfordown, it shows the download to be 4 hrs, so a little long, i can wait.
Some users have tried 4Shared, I,m sure it was quicker, again with the delay to allow you to read the adverts.

i will get back when i have finally downloaded the file.

[Ken Berry]

Alas, no -- for me it took rather more than 4 hours, and I thought my internet speed was normally fast. (just downloaded a similar sized file and it took only 13 minutes!!) But it finally downloaded, and so far I am unable to see any black borders around the video (with my background set to green). Will experiment further and report back.

[canuck]

Trevor & Ken,

sorry I suggested the Up4Down site. I had been using it in the past and I don't remember it ever being that slow. I certainly will never use or suggest that site again unless they are having some recent problems. They only reason I used it is that link recipients do not have to register to download like they (seem to) do with 4Shared.

I had no problems with any borders on that downloaded file in any tests I made with VS X5

[Ken Berry]

It's no biggie!! Remember the good old days of dial-up connections where 4 hours for such a download would have been blindingly fast!!

[lata]

Hi

Ok managed to download the sample, Canuck, no problem with the link, thanks for testing this out for us.
---------------------------------------
Martom

Maybe there is some confusion regarding the video frame when using Video Studio.
Some things to note...
The preview screen can be resized by dragging the edges, the default size can be set by pressing F7

When we view the preview screen the background color is black, but the unused portions are also black, so we cannot readily identify the actual active frame.
Changing the background colour will identify the actual screen, any black outside the colour can be ignored, these being the unused portions of the screen.

Now add your video file.
If you add to the overlay track the video shows as a smaller version within the coloured area.
Does your video (the smaller version) show any black borders.
---------------------------
Some videos have had black strips attached to simulate a widescreen look, its these that we needed to identify, it would appear that your video is ok, a normal 16:9 video.
I will render the sample to a few different video types to see if there is any problems

image from overlay track

image from overlay track, project properties using 4:3

---------------------

[martom]

Thank you very much guys for the help. Sorry about the slow download speeds.

Okay, I have the background color changed to bright green. I loaded the original file on to the overlay track. There is no black border anywhere. I selected the fit to screen, and then keep aspect ratio. It filled up the entire background with no green showing at all. I rendered a dvd mpeg from the original. I played the mpeg2 file and the original file both on my VLC player. They looked identical as far as aspect ratio etc. I then placed the mpeg2 file on the overlay track and confirmed it has no black borders. I then selected fit to screen, and keep aspect ratio. I then clicked share and rendered an iso. file from the mpeg2 video. I then played the iso with the VLC player. the picture quality wasn't as good as the original file but it still had the identical same aspect ratio. I burned the iso file to a dvd. I then put the dvd into my standard dvd player (not a blueray player) and played it on my HD TV. It is set at 16:9 aspect ratio and plays all my HD programs off satellite just fine. The DVD plays with a wide black strip at the top and bottom of the picture. The picture looks like it is squashed down vertically and everything is stretched out. I played the DVD on my computer VLC player and it looks identical to the iso file. The aspect ratio seems fine there. The problem must be somewhere in my DVD player or the TV settings. I wonder if it would look better in a blueray player even though it is a standard DVD. I did some playing with the TV picture size settings. The zoom 1 setting looks perfect. Now everything looks normal with no borders and no stretching, at least until I go back to normal programming. This doesn't make sense to me, but I guess.........whatever works. Anybody got any other ideas?

[lata]

Hi martom

not a problem with downloads, I'm retired and it can take as long as it likes.
At least we have confirmed there is no problems with the video file.

Your TV and DVD players both have options to change the aspect ratios.
Each TV/DVD may have different options, so what i see may not whats available to you.

I would suggest you check both to set the aspect/display ratios

If its set to say panorama scope then the video will probably look as you describe.

I dont have satellite so dont know if the display aspect is different to a normal DVD
It may be transmitted as 1440 x 1080 which is then stretched/up-scaled to 16:9.
Gust guessing here...........
You may have to change the aspect each time you play a DVD.............

Burning a DVD/ISO

You mentioned the picture was not as good as the original, was this comparing it with the HD file or the Mpeg2 file, before making the iso.

The original HD mts file uses 59fps, the interlacing or lack of being frame based.
Creating Mpeg 2 will change this to 29fps, effectively removing every other frame.
To keep Frame Based you will have to use a custom template.
The frame size is also reduced to 720 x 480, compliant DVD size.

All of which are gonna reduce the quality.

If you have a Bluray player then consider creating a AVCHD Hybrid disc, this uses the HD file burned to a standard DVD 4.3 GB, need a bluray player to play these types.

If you do not have a bluray player then consider shooting in 29fps rather than 59fps.

[martom]

Lata,
Thank you so much for all your time and help. I have a HD TV but am still using a standard DVD player. I guess that's where my problem is. Switching the TV aspect to 16:9, zoom 1 seems to cure all my ills with that part of it. Looks like I'm personally behind the times as well. I wasn't aware of AVCHD Hybrid discs. Sounds like there might be a bluray player in my near future. I knew going in, there would be loss of quality converting from HD to SD. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to share our home videos with friends and family back home in Washington State. Most of them are also still using standard DVD players. At the same time, I will be posting a few short HD clips on you tube. My camera shoots in either AVCHD or MP4. It has 3 options in each of those formats. I had assumed the better the quality of video going in, the better it would look after conversion. Perhaps I will be better off shooting in 29 fps. Thanks!

[Ken Berry]

Instead of buying a blu-ray player, I bought a Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3). It is not only an excellent blu-ray and DVD player, but is also a computer which can be networked to your main computer. It also upscales standard DVDs to much better quality appearance on your HDTV. You can also connect to the internet on it and thus use your HDTV as a monitor. And of course you can play games with it if that is your thing!!