Rendered Video Too Narrow For Viewing Area

[truegenius]

Dear folks:

Last night I tried running DMF 4 to create a DVD for a 90-minute movie broadcast on TV. The project creation went fine as did the generation of the motion menus, VOB, etc., but when I actually played the video back in DVD player software, the resulting video was narrow - there was the presence of two black, vertical bars on either side of the video. It looked like a vertical version of the letterbox format (16:9) that you'd expect to see with a wide-screen movie feature.

The MPEG2 file was generated with ATI's TV Wonder Pro video capture software and edited with Ulead's VideoStudio 8 SE. The approximate bit rate was 5500 KBPS.

Specs on my system:

* eMachines e-Tower model T2240
* 2.20 GHz Intel Celeron CPU
* 640 MB RAM
* C-Drive: 40 GB
* D-Drive: 80 GB
* Windows XP Home Edition, Service Pack 2 applied
* ATI TV Wonder Pro video capture card and software
* Two Pioneer DVD burners: DVR-A07 (8x8), DVR-A08 (16x16 w/DL)
* Also installed: Ulead VideoStudio 8 SE

I'm a previous owner of DMF 3 and never saw this. What could be causing this?

Thanks much,
Charles

[maddrummer3301]

With the video on the timeline right-click on it and select "Properties".
Post the properties of the video back to this thread for others to evalute.

Also post the "Project Settings" for the project you created.

MD

[truegenius]

FILE INFORMATION

Format: MPEG-2
File Size: 3,597,596 KB
Duration: 5289.122 Seconds

Video:
Video Type: MPEG-2 Video
Total Frames: 158,515
Attributes: 24 bits, 720x480, 4:3
Frame Rate: 29.970 Fr/Sec
Data Rate: Variable Bit Rate (Max. 5,500 kbps)

Audio:
Audio Type: MPEG Audio Layer 2 Files
Total Samples: 233,250,300
Attributes: 44100 Hz, 16 Bit, Mono
Layer: 2
Bit Rate: 160 kbps

PROJECT SETTINGS

MPEG files
24 bits, 720 x 480, 29.97 fps(DVD-NTSC), 4:3
Video data rate: Variable (Max. 7000 kbps)
Audio data rate: 256 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio, 48 KHz, 2/0(L,R)
Display Aspect Ratio: 4:3

Do not convert compliant MPEG files: YES
Support X-Disc: NO
Two-pass conversion: NO
Treat MPEG audio as non-DVD compliant: NO

Navigation controls:
Play all clips first before menu: NO
Auto repeat when disc playback ends: NO
Clip playback: Continue to play the next clip

[maddrummer3301]

Hi,
There are some changes in all 3 programs that would make things easier.
Make sure to capture dvd compliant video to start with using the ATI video recorder (nice program). You can create your own custom template.
When you record in ATI make the aspect ratio the same as the transmission being recorded. Record dvd compliant 720x480 frame size and 48khz 16bit stereo audio(NTSC) Auto 3:2 pulldown. Framesize should be 4:3 usually (recording using the s-video connector from a cable converter receiving a HD 16:9 signal can be difficult because it's converted).

The audio attributes aren't dvd compliant. With the ATI capturing if you select "Mpeg-dvd" and manually set the audio for 48khz stereo or mono
is better. And, export it from VS8 with those attributes. DVD-Video audio is 48khz stereo or mono. 16 bit.

In VS8, when you exported the video did you have "Perform non-square pixel rendering" checked ON.

In MF you have "Do Not convert compliant mpeg files" checked ON which is correct but your source video isn't DVD compliant so MF will have to convert it. Always set the "Project Settings" in MF to equal to source videos properties. If you check the setting "Treat Mpeg audio as non-dvd compliant" it will converted to dolby audio (the project settings). The source audio attributes aren't dvd compliant. The "Project Settings" video bit rate don't match the source videos. MF=7000, source = 5500, should be the same.

All that has nothing to do with the true aspect ratio of the video: Those are other important things that need to be correct for dvd editing mpeg2 files.

>> but when I actually played the video back in DVD player software, the
>> resulting video was narrow
Somehow, the aspect ratio is wrong. Could be as simple as the software player forcing the wrong display in the software players configuration.

Whatever the case that sounds like a 16:9 picture being displayed as 4:3.

MD

[truegenius]

Thank you very, very much for all the suggestions. I figured out why the problem occurred, though, and it didn't involve what you wrote. The problem started back a ways.

Like in VideoStudio 8.

Here's what happened: when I put my video clips together, edited them, and then clicked on the Share tab, instead of choosing the standard "NTSC DVD" option, I went to the Tools menu and chose the tool that allows you to specify different output formats (which included NTSC DVD). I created a new type, "DVD 2 hours", specifying "MPEG-2" instead of "NTSC DVD" (there's a media type that can be specified), and all the other information (5500 kbps bit rate, non-LPCM audio, etc.).

NTSC DVD isn't the same as MPEG-2, I've discovered. I created a smaller project with a shorter video and specified my new format and got the same result, a narrower picture. I went to the settings for my new format and compared them with those for NTSC DVD, which worked as I expected. Then I changed the settings to match NTSC DVD, except for the bit rate. (I also noticed Lower Field First was selected for NTSC DVD.)

But here was one reason I didn't catch this mistake sooner, I think - when I played the resulting MPEG file in Windows Media Player, I didn't see the vertical bars there, and that's because when I use Windows Media Player, it's usually for small clips anyway (400x300, 320x200, etc.) and I'm accustomed to seeing black space around the video. I guess I just didn't notice the black bars on either side of my generated video because I expected it to be there.

So it turns out that this problem was completely unrelated to Ulead's DVD Movie Factory 4 - a relief to me, and exhoneration for Ulead.

Carry on,
Charles

[maddrummer3301]

It's more reliable to use ulead dvd player, power dvd/windvd. Any true
dvd/mpeg software/hardware player to preview your work.

Windows media player doesn't even come with it's own mpeg2/dolby decoders.

MD