Plausible theory of converting 4:3 to 16:9?

Aviv Hallale · April 30th, 2006, 05:16 PM

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=64673

In that thread Nick was looking for a method of shooting 4:3 to be converted to 16:9, someone recommended filming 4:3 in a 16:9 guideframe and then in a 4:3 project, add black bands in post to crop the top and bottom so it can be displayed on a widescreen TV...Is that not even necassary then? Would a DVD Player not automatically crop the top and bottom without the matte being placed in post or would the video be pillarboxed if the matte wasn't placed there during editing?

Boyd Ostroff · April 30th, 2006, 06:45 PM

Unless you create an anamorphic DVD, the player won't do anything except show your 4:3 video. So if you add black bars to a 4:3 project then that's exactly what you'll get from the DVD player. However someone with a widescreen TV will have the 4:3 video with the black bars pillarboxed on their 16:9 screen. If you make a real 16:9 DVD, then it will fill a widescreen TV at full SD resolution, but it will be letterboxed on a 4:3 TV.

Aviv Hallale · May 1st, 2006, 05:32 AM

So if my source footage is 4:3;

1. I want a 4:3 DVD on a 4:3 TV:

I work in a 4:3 project, edit in a 4:3 project and export to a 4:3 DVD.

2. If I want to make a a 4:3 DVD Widescreen,

I edit in 4:3, crop it in post and do some 16:9 pan and scan and export it as a 16:9 DVD?

3. If I edit in 4:3, DON'T crop it and export it as a 16:9 DVD, it will just be pillar boxed on a widescreen TV and letter boxed automatically on a normal TV?

4. If I work on 4:3 that I know will ONLY be on 16:9 DVD, then I use the guideframes when filming and don't have to worry about 16:9 pan-and-scan in post after I've added the bands?

Rand Blair · May 1st, 2006, 06:31 AM

Boyd has at least one of the answers; that has worked for me.

Rand

_______________________________________________________

failure can not contend with persistence

Aviv Hallale · May 2nd, 2006, 11:52 PM

Well, now this is weird. I used DVDSanta to convert a DIVX AVI copy of a Desperate Housewives episode to DVD. The episode is in widescreen and letterboxed when I watch it on my PC, so when I made the DVD I said it was 16:9 however when I watched it on my 4:3 Television, it came out in 4:3 without looking stretched...Why is that?

May 1st, 2006, 05:32 AM	#18
Aviv Hallale Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Cape Town, South Africa Posts: 276	So if my source footage is 4:3; 1. I want a 4:3 DVD on a 4:3 TV: I work in a 4:3 project, edit in a 4:3 project and export to a 4:3 DVD. 2. If I want to make a a 4:3 DVD Widescreen, I edit in 4:3, crop it in post and do some 16:9 pan and scan and export it as a 16:9 DVD? 3. If I edit in 4:3, DON'T crop it and export it as a 16:9 DVD, it will just be pillar boxed on a widescreen TV and letter boxed automatically on a normal TV? 4. If I work on 4:3 that I know will ONLY be on 16:9 DVD, then I use the guideframes when filming and don't have to worry about 16:9 pan-and-scan in post after I've added the bands? Last edited by Aviv Hallale; May 1st, 2006 at 06:51 AM.

May 1st, 2006, 06:31 AM	#19
Rand Blair Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Uganda Posts: 44	the answer Boyd has at least one of the answers; that has worked for me. Rand _______________________________________________________ failure can not contend with persistence

April 30th, 2006, 05:16 PM	#16
Aviv Hallale Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Cape Town, South Africa Posts: 276	http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=64673 In that thread Nick was looking for a method of shooting 4:3 to be converted to 16:9, someone recommended filming 4:3 in a 16:9 guideframe and then in a 4:3 project, add black bands in post to crop the top and bottom so it can be displayed on a widescreen TV...Is that not even necassary then? Would a DVD Player not automatically crop the top and bottom without the matte being placed in post or would the video be pillarboxed if the matte wasn't placed there during editing?

April 30th, 2006, 06:45 PM	#17
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,809	Unless you create an anamorphic DVD, the player won't do anything except show your 4:3 video. So if you add black bars to a 4:3 project then that's exactly what you'll get from the DVD player. However someone with a widescreen TV will have the 4:3 video with the black bars pillarboxed on their 16:9 screen. If you make a real 16:9 DVD, then it will fill a widescreen TV at full SD resolution, but it will be letterboxed on a 4:3 TV.

May 2nd, 2006, 11:52 PM	#20
Aviv Hallale Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Cape Town, South Africa Posts: 276	Well, now this is weird. I used DVDSanta to convert a DIVX AVI copy of a Desperate Housewives episode to DVD. The episode is in widescreen and letterboxed when I watch it on my PC, so when I made the DVD I said it was 16:9 however when I watched it on my 4:3 Television, it came out in 4:3 without looking stretched...Why is that?