Vimeo aspect ratio
 

Hi
I have uploaded an SD video widescreen (16:9) format on Vimeo but now when I want to view it, the format shown is 4:3 and the people look "compressed" Have a look: vimeo.com/1728082
Can I change it now? Any ideas?

Stelios

Hi Stelios,

It's a Pixel Aspect Ratio (PAR) issue. In your NLE, export the video at 1:1 with the pixels sufficient to 16x9 from (PAL ?).

My best,

Mike

the movie dimensioned must be bigger otherwise vimeo assumes its 4:3. if you search their forum you'll get a more detailed answer, I've once looked it up but have forgotten.

I know if you export from FCP to quicktime, even if the video is setup on a 16:9 timeline the video will still export a 4:3 image. It's simple to correct though, you need to open the outputed file in quicktime and then press command-j (movie properties). Then go to the video track and change the aspect ratio to what you need (in PAL land the equivalent ratio is 1024x576 from 720x576) that should sort it out. Alternatively if you're using a different NLE, then it's something else!

*(Note this is also a trick to put a widescreen video into iDVD if you need to use that for something)*

In terms of the compression, make sure you export as high a quality as you can as vimeo will compress the video itself, so i've you've already compressed it it's going to suffer.

Hope that helps someone!

I am still struggling to upload a video on Vimeo so it will show the correct aspect ration 16:9.
I am using VideoStudio x2 and the option I have to create Video files are: DV (4:3 or 16:9) HDV (4:3 or 16:9), DVD (4:3 or 16:9) MPEG-4 (4:3 or 16:9). So I use DVD (4:3 or 16:9) and then upload it to Vimeo but when I view it after its uploaded it is 4:3 aspect ration. What format do you guys use to upload your videos?

Stelios

It is an issue with Vimeo sometimes having technical issues. I have uploaded several videos using FCP to export pal anamorphic (720x576). Then in QuickTime I use "apple + J" to change the video track setting to widescreen (1024x576)

sometimes it works other times it does not.

My advice is the same as in post #2 of this thread.

Doing your final compressions to a 1.0 pixel aspect ratio takes care of many problems with online video before they even start. Non-square PARs depend on flagging in the file header to tell the player or Vimeo's transcoding software to stretch the anamorphic image to widescreen. It's easy to get the flagging wrong, it's easy for subsequent processes to miss the widescreen/PAR flagging. Square pixels are the ticket.

What this means in practice is that most 16:9 hi-def intermediates should be 1280x720, 1.0 PAR. 1920x1080 is also good. 1440x1080 is bad.

For NTSC origination, standard def 4:3 should be 640x480. SD widescreen 854x480. Sorry, I'm not as familiar with PAL origination, but the same principles apply.

All of these "shoulds" can certainly be otherwise and work fine, as long as the screen aspect ratio is correct (4:3 or 16:9) with square pixels (1.0 PAR). But the numbers above will typically best match NTSC origination.

OK Just figured something interesting out about Vimeo.

Even if you fix your aspect ratio you need to upload as a new video. If you do the replace video it saves the old aspect ratio info.

The main downside to this is you will not be able to ration your weekly 500mb.

I got my showreel to display properly by fixing the aspect ratio and then uploading it as a new video. when I did the replace video thing it did not work.

http://vimeo.com/4917298