DVD not recording in 16.9

[DuBsTaR]

I have a Toshiba DVD Recorder d-VR16SB. I have made sure all the settings are set at 16.9

When I want to record something, the output on DVD is in 4.3.

Can anyone please advise.

Thanks very much

[VideoChunkster]

Im sure someone will chime in, im still mesmorized by your beautiful pic

[DB83]

Are you recording in 'Video Mode' or 'Video Recording Mode/VR' ?

One of my recorders will ignore the actual setting with the latter and just record whatever the source is.

In fact, I would always leave the recording source as 'Auto' otherwise you could get odd results if you tried to record at 16:9 (Video Mode) with a 4:3 source.

[DuBsTaR]

I'm using Video Mode. It's driving me up the wall ! Thanks

[DuBsTaR]

Im sure someone will chime in, im still mesmorized by your beautiful pic

Hahaha

[orsetto]

Your Toshiba is an older model made by Funai, apparently with analog-only (not DVB-T) tuner. Here in North America, analog broadcasts were never 16:9, we only had letterbox widescreen in a 4:3 frame. We didn't get true 16:9 widescreen broadcasts until we went entirely digital. Not sure how the analog>digital transition worked in UK, so it might help if you tell us what source you are recording: analog broadcasts via the Toshiba internal tuner, or DVB-T/Satellite from an external digital box connected to your Toshiba line inputs?

Funai made an endless variety of Toshiba DVD recorders for different countries. Not all of them embedded the widescreen "trigger" flag in all recordings from all sources on all types of DVD. Without that trigger, anamorphic 16:9 recordings display as squeezed in a 4:3 frame on many HDTVs. You can check for this by using your TV remote to expand the video on your DVDs to fill the 16:9 frame (choose the "Full" or "Wide" setting, not "Zoom"). If the image has black bars top and bottom, and actor's faces seem distorted, the recording is 4:3 letterbox and you'll need to zoom it to fill the screen. But if the expanded video looks undistorted, with no black borders, you don't actually have a defect: quite a few DVD recorders make 16:9 DVDs that require manual stretching with the TV remote.

If your signal source is an external tuner or Sky box, and you keep seeing letterboxed widescreen in a black frame, you may not be able to record true 16:9 at all. Many external tuners force their analog outputs to 4:3 letterbox. You can check the setup menus for the box, if it offers a 16:9 option be sure that is the active choice.

The best "recording aspect ratio" setting with most Funai Toshibas is Auto (setting it to 16:9 will distort any older movies or TV shows that are broadcast in their original 4:3 format). The instruction book for similar 2007-era Toshiba models indicates the following, which might also be factors:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

• For DVD-RW VR mode, the image will be recorded in
whichever ratio the programs you record are
broadcasted with, regardless of the “Aspect Ratio
(Video mode)” setting.

• For DVD+RW/+R, the image will always be recorded
in aspect ratio of 4:3.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


I interpret that to mean a Toshiba might reliably embed the auto-stretch trigger, or obey your aspect ratio preferences, only when recording to DVD-R blanks. Otherwise it defaults to making non-automatic 16:9 recordings squeezed horizontally into a 4:3 frame, requiring the viewer to manually unsqueeze with their TV remote buttons. The end result is the same onscreen, manual stretching just isn't as convenient as the auto-trigger.

[DuBsTaR]

Your Toshiba is an older model made by Funai, apparently with analog-only (not DVB-T) tuner. Here in North America, analog broadcasts were never 16:9, we only had letterbox widescreen in a 4:3 frame. We didn't get true 16:9 widescreen broadcasts until we went entirely digital. Not sure how the analog>digital transition worked in UK, so it might help if you tell us what source you are recording: analog broadcasts via the Toshiba internal tuner, or DVB-T/Satellite from an external digital box connected to your Toshiba line inputs?

Funai made an endless variety of Toshiba DVD recorders for different countries. Not all of them embedded the widescreen "trigger" flag in all recordings from all sources on all types of DVD. Without that trigger, anamorphic 16:9 recordings display as squeezed in a 4:3 frame on many HDTVs. You can check for this by using your TV remote to expand the video on your DVDs to fill the 16:9 frame (choose the "Full" or "Wide" setting, not "Zoom"). If the image has black bars top and bottom, and actor's faces seem distorted, the recording is 4:3 letterbox and you'll need to zoom it to fill the screen. But if the expanded video looks undistorted, with no black borders, you don't actually have a defect: quite a few DVD recorders make 16:9 DVDs that require manual stretching with the TV remote.

If your signal source is an external tuner or Sky box, and you keep seeing letterboxed widescreen in a black frame, you may not be able to record true 16:9 at all. Many external tuners force their analog outputs to 4:3 letterbox. You can check the setup menus for the box, if it offers a 16:9 option be sure that is the active choice.

The best "recording aspect ratio" setting with most Funai Toshibas is Auto (setting it to 16:9 will distort any older movies or TV shows that are broadcast in their original 4:3 format). The instruction book for similar 2007-era Toshiba models indicates the following, which might also be factors:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

• For DVD-RW VR mode, the image will be recorded in
whichever ratio the programs you record are
broadcasted with, regardless of the “Aspect Ratio
(Video mode)” setting.

• For DVD+RW/+R, the image will always be recorded
in aspect ratio of 4:3.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


I interpret that to mean a Toshiba might reliably embed the auto-stretch trigger, or obey your aspect ratio preferences, only when recording to DVD-R blanks. Otherwise it defaults to making non-automatic 16:9 recordings squeezed horizontally into a 4:3 frame, requiring the viewer to manually unsqueeze with their TV remote buttons. The end result is the same onscreen, manual stretching just isn't as convenient as the auto-trigger.

You hit the nail on the head, and thank you for clearing that up for me. I guess I need to update my DVD recorder, I thought about doing so but only recently have started using it.

Do you know if my other DVD recorder would be ok DMR/EX768 ? Thanks in advance

[orsetto]

Do you know if my other DVD recorder would be ok DMR/EX768 ?

We don't have the DMR-EX768 in North America (Panasonic stopped selling DVD/HDD recorders in USA/Canada around 2007). But my understanding is the interface has not changed much on the newer EU models: I believe the EX768 would definitely tag any 16:9 recordings made thru its internal DVB-T digital tuner as "auto-stretch" 16:9. However, this may only apply to -R discs, as Panasonic seems to have issues with aspect ratio automation when +R discs are used. Also, the recording speed needs to be XP, SP, LP or FR. Very long-play speeds like EP will mess with aspect ratio settings. You will probably want to make some test recordings with the blanks you typically use, and see whether you get automatic stretch or still need to do it manually.

Note you can also add the "auto-stretch" signal to any DVD by making a copy of it to your PC hard drive, changing the video aspect setting with a disc editor program like pgcEdit, and burning a new updated dvd. This does of course take additional time (10 minutes to copy the original DVD to PC, a minute to fix the auto-stretch setting, and then 10 minutes to burn the updated DVD copy). And the software that automates the aspect ratio can be intimidating unless you're a "geek."

[jman98]

Im sure someone will chime in, im still mesmorized by your beautiful pic

For what it's worth, we have people here all the time who join and post those kind of pictures and pretend to be women. Now there's nothing in the original post or follow ups by the poster that screams out to me "There's no way a woman could be interested in that", but still I'm pretty sure the whole point of the picture, IF it even is the OP's picture and IF the OP actually is a woman, is to manipulate guys into responding. As I point out all the time, hell, we have guys here who won't stop helping people even when they clearly aren't worthy of it and they weren't motivated by any photo to provide help. There's no reason for anybody to think that they have to post photos like that with their account to get help.

[VideoChunkster]

Im sure someone will chime in, im still mesmorized by your beautiful pic

For what it's worth, we have people here all the time who join and post those kind of pictures and pretend to be women. Now there's nothing in the original post or follow ups by the poster that screams out to me "There's no way a woman could be interested in that", but still I'm pretty sure the whole point of the picture, IF it even is the OP's picture and IF the OP actually is a woman, is to manipulate guys into responding. As I point out all the time, hell, we have guys here who won't stop helping people even when they clearly aren't worthy of it and they weren't motivated by any photo to provide help. There's no reason for anybody to think that they have to post photos like that with their account to get help.

Pity thought she looked like a cutie for sure, might be some 35 year old biker from SoCal who just got a ne pet snake lol

[DuBsTaR]

Im sure someone will chime in, im still mesmorized by your beautiful pic

For what it's worth, we have people here all the time who join and post those kind of pictures and pretend to be women. Now there's nothing in the original post or follow ups by the poster that screams out to me "There's no way a woman could be interested in that", but still I'm pretty sure the whole point of the picture, IF it even is the OP's picture and IF the OP actually is a woman, is to manipulate guys into responding. As I point out all the time, hell, we have guys here who won't stop helping people even when they clearly aren't worthy of it and they weren't motivated by any photo to provide help. There's no reason for anybody to think that they have to post photos like that with their account to get help.

lol that is the funniest thing I have ever read, of course it's me, who else is it duh !

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003601048406&fref=ts
I've been a member here for a long time, I don't use my picture to reflect on help. Silly man....but of course, you could be a woman, having a severe case of jealously over my picture.... LOL !

[usually_quiet]

jman98 has been accusing various people of posing as women for years. I guess he still can't conceive of women buying consumer electronics by themselves or having questions about them. LOL

[Noahtuck]

Well that link is bad but I must admit, I have been laughing at both of their replies, LOL!!!

Ummmm, can we say "get a life" ?
LMAO!!!

But in all fairness,

of course it's me, who else is it duh !

Ummm, ANYONE!!!
It is the internet, DUHH!!
LOL!!

[VideoChunkster]

lol ill laugh if Sanlyn comes back using a gimmick account as a woman, fun times ahead lol

[johns0]

DuBsTaR=guy.