Any Ideas From the 16X9 Gang?
 

Hi All
I have a post over in the DVD and Web category. I find the whole DVD/16X9 etc thing confusing, but it boils down to this:

I'm looking for a cheap, basic DVD authoring program that supports 16X9 (if, in fact, DVD authoring programs need to specifically "support" 16X9 at all to work properly).

Any ideas would be appreciated. Not looking for professional stuff here, just enough to get by. I explain myself better in the post...I think. Thanks!

Here's the link...
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21800

Thought I'd ask over here since I'm not getting many nibbles over there, and if some of you are like me, I seldom look at all the other different categories. I tend to stay in small but well-worn ruts when navigating the forum.

Sorry, I have no experience with your software and I use a Mac. I don't use any DVD burning software, but use a standalone recorder. But I can tell you that the key is setting some sort of flag so the DVD player knows it's widescreen material. This was discussed awhile ago here and someone suggested various techniques to use on the PC. Try searching for "widescreen" or similar terms.

Hello,

Maybe try Sonys DVD Architect, it is the DVD authoring program that is the brother of Sony Vegas..I use it it and it is pretty decent and fairly cheap.. You can find a copy of Vegas bundled with Architect(version 4 is the newest) on Ebay for less than $300..
Mike

Hello,

Just a verification, the Vegas/Architect software i mentioned in my previous post was and Academic version of the software..
Sorry for any misleading..

mike m

I do primarily 16:9 DVDs.

The 16:9 vs. 4:3 case is mainly one of human preception/definition. To the software and DVD players, it's MPEG-2 in 720x480 (or 576 if you're in PAL-land).

To deal with this, DV, MPEG and DVD program streams set flags. If your camcorder does a proper 16x9 recording (eg, not letterboxed), it sets a flag that's recognized by your NLE (well, mine anyway.. I use Vegas). And so on, down the tool chain.

When you get to the DVD, there are actually three flags of interest. One says "4:3" or "16:9". You can actually mess with these using the IFOEdit program; normally, your authoring app sets them for you.

If you set "4:3" you're done. You get 4:3, the DVD player basically just passes through the video unchanged. Tragically, this happens even if I have a 16:9 screen (here in the USA anyway; PAL players may well notify the TV they're playing 4:3 video). So I have to reach for that remote and make adjustments, or just let the camera add 20lbs.

If you set "16:9", the DVD player gets into the act. The two other flags you can set are "Pan and Scan" and "Widescreen", on the DVD. You can set one, both, or neither.

On you DVD player, you have a similar choice: you can set it to display widscreen, or pan and scan, when you tell your player it's a 4:3 set you have connected. When the player sees a 16:9 disc for a 16:9 set, like a 4:3 disc for a 4:3 set, it does nothing -- just a pass through. When it sees a 16:9 disc going to a 4:3 set, it consults the features you set (P&S, Widescreen) and compares them to the user preference. If you offer a choice, they'll go with it. If not, it's fixed. So you get DVD-player-generated letterboxing, or DVD-player-generated pan and scan (the DVD format allows the author to provide the pan and scan vectors, though you need a high-end authoring tool for that).

And that's just video. Menus, being still graphics, are authored for one or the other. Or both, but you need a high-end authoring app to allow decision trees (eg, show this menu for 4:3, show this menu for 16:9) to be authored.

It's not uncommon for mid-level and even entry level apps to support 16:9 these days. The two apps I use, Pinnacle Impression Pro and Sony DVD Architect support 16:9 discs, but not separate menu authoring. You would have to check your app to be certain.

When I first got into DVD, some years ago, I was able to hack 16:9 support to a degree, using a regular 4:3 authoring program and IFOEdit, to change my tags for 16:9. However, this will mess up your menu positioning to some extent, so you have to be kind of clever about menu design to get such a disc to work well in 4:3 and 16:9 cases.