Sony DVDA and Vegas Inccorect Output Ratio
 

I misspelled the title and can't fix it...

I am using Sony DVD Architect to make a widescreen 24p ntsc DVD out of a Sony Vegas project. The problem is, when I play the DVD, it is slightly vertically stretched. Not a lot, just a bit. I have played it on a widescreen computer, widescreen TV through a DVD player, and widescreen TV through an Xbox 360. Each time, when played at "native" rez and aspect, it is slightly vertically stretched. I can FORCE it to fit and then it's fine, but at native settinjgs, it is never right.

1) I made sure all the clips are 720 x 480.
2) I made sure the project setting is 720 x 480.
3) I rendered out using the DVD Architect presets for DVDA Widescreen 24p mpg-2.
4) I made sure the DVD Architect project matched the 720 x 480 settings.
5) I render....
6) Native aspect is never right. It is never actually 720 x 480. Or maybe it IS 720 x 480 and my TV or computer monitor is not. I don't know.

I don't know, but it's killing me. I need to master this DVD very soon.

P.S. I have made DVDs before this way and have not had a problem until now.

DJ

Are you using 1.2121 (NTSC DV Widescreen) setting for pixel aspect ratio for the Wide screen.. some people sometimes go to 1.33

I have used 1.21etc. for the entire workflow. The only thing that hasn't been 1.21 was the source footage, but it was converted early in the process and hasn't given me trouble. I seem to recall this same footage working in a prior project and burn to DVD. I know I made it work, but that was more than a year ago.

I am pretty sure I'm just forgetting a step.

So you think I should try 1.33?

No, 1.33 would be incorrect. Right-click on the clip and check its properties. If it is 720x480 and should be 16:9 widescreen, then make sure the PAR is set to 1.2121. If the footage was widescreen with a PAR of 1.0, then its dimensions would be something on the order of 853x480.

O.K. The clip properties are 1.21 and the project is 1.21. Everything is correct and uniform. I did change the PAR of the project, but when I rendered it, it was the same.

I will say that I have done something which results in a correct aspect on my TV. I rendered out as 4:3 DV and allowed it to letterbox. After I did this, I changed my TV to "widescreen" mode which zooms in on the image and SHOULD clip off the letterbox.

But what happens instead is that there is still a bit of black at the top and bottom. Which says to me...which, indeed means...that my clips, despite what they say or how I filmed them, are not 16:9. They are longer horizontally.

How the heck did this happen? Is this the answer? To just render as 4:3, or should I start measuring and find the REAL pixel dimensions?

DJ,

Try this please. I had the same issue when making a dvd from several different source materials.

Go back to your project in vegas(keep project in ntcs wide); on the timeline, select the crop icon on EACH clip and select 16:9 from the pulldown. Render as mainconcept ntcs DVD widescreen(Mpeg2).(make sure the stretch to fit box is unchecked) This should fix it. You then should be full screen on a widescreen and letterboxed on a 4:3 set.

Hope this helps,
Michael

I am going to try that right away. Thanks for the input. I just don't see how they aren't 16:9 to begin with. I shot them all with the same cam and rendered them all first as 16:9.

Trying it now.

DJ