Videos expands off screen

[Squid_uk]

Heys guys!

I've got a AVI file that I want to convert to put on a DVD, when I play the file on my laptop in fullscreen mode I have no problems, when I convert the file with ConvertXtoDVD 3 (which I have not used, only used an older version) and play it in fullscreen on my laptop I notice that the size of the viewable video has become larger making the edges expand off the screen, then to makes things worse when burning it to a DVD and playing it on my TV even more of the video is off screen!

Could this be something within the settings of ConvertX?

[guns1inger]

The problem is called Overscan, and almost all televisions have it to some degree. All your commercial discs will have parts of the edges missing on your television as well.

To adjust for this in convertxtodvd, first go into Settings -> Video processing, and change the Resize Method to User, then click OK. Answer Yes to the next question.

Now expand the titleset tree for your video, then expand the Video branch. Expand Video resize Method, and click on the icon at the right-hand end of the field. This will open the custom resize dialogue.

Before you resize, make sure the following too boxes are ticked : Show Safe Area and Symmetric Pad/Crop. Now comes the tricky part. You have to use the Pad controls to shrink the image area and add black borders. The problem is, ConvertXtoDVD doesn't have a 'maintain aspect ratio' feature, so you have to try to get both the vertical and the horizontal shifts the same. if you get too close to the inner area of the Safe Area mask, the borders will be visible on your TV. Once you have it right, click OK, and encode.

Personally, I find FAVC produces better quality if you don't need menus, and has a much simpler overscan compensation method.

[Squid_uk]

I changed the setting guns1inger but I didnt get the question after choosing User and ok, does this matter?

[guns1inger]

If you are seeing the change in the preview window then I assume it has worked.

[Squid_uk]

It looks good so far!

[Squid_uk]

UPDATE!

Hey guys, bad news, when playing the DVD on my TV im still getting the same problem, the video is also full screen but the original is letterbox, the most annoying thing is on the version of ConvertX I had before I never had this problem, only thing is I don't know what version it was!

[guns1inger]

Try it with FAVC instead. Tick the overscan box on the HCEnc tab.

That said, I tested the instructions I gave you with a clip here and had no problems.

[Squid_uk]

That said, I tested the instructions I gave you with a clip here and had no problems.

Hmmm thats strange?! Could it be anything to do with the size of my laptop screen and TV screen?!

I tried using an older version of ConvertX (version 2 I think) and it is alot better that when I first converted using version 3, still no perfect though but alot lot better!

[guns1inger]

It has nothing to do with either your laptop or TV screen unless

1. You have changed televisions recently, in which case your new TV may have a different overscan size

2. You are playing the DVDs from your laptop to your TV, in which case how do you have connected

[MysticE]

Try it with FAVC instead. Tick the overscan box on the HCEnc tab.

That said, I tested the instructions I gave you with a clip here and had no problems.

Is that the case? From a guide on FAVC:

"TV Overscan", when enabled, will enlarge the pictures slightly so that no border is shown on an older TV that suffers from overscan. This option is usually not needed,

I've switched over to AVStoDVD (also free and HCenc ready). It's very easy to simply go to the Avisynth tab and add what ever borders you like and preview right from the app.

An example:

Original
Video = Video.AddBorders(0,44,0,44)

After changes. I just added 16 to each number (L,T,R,B)

Video = Video.AddBorders(16,60,16,60)

[guns1inger]

This is a still from a 16:9 FAVC conversion with TV Overscan ticked. I don't think I'd want the borders much bigger.

[jagabo]

If you reduce that picture to 720x576 the black borders at the sides are only 16 pixels each. That's not enough overscan compensation for most SD TVs.

[MysticE]

This is a still from a 16:9 FAVC conversion with TV Overscan ticked. I don't think I'd want the borders much bigger.

Looks like I read the wrong guide, tried it it works as you said. Thanks for the heads up.

Got the wrong info from here:
http://www.digital-digest.com/articles/FAVC_Video_to_DVD_Guide_page3.html

[guns1inger]

If you reduce that picture to 720x576 the black borders at the sides are only 16 pixels each. That's not enough overscan compensation for most SD TVs.

Given that the DVD version doesn't have any borders, you are still getting more image. On my old CRT that was enough to get all the important information without seeing borders. Unless you are working it particularly badly placed subs or a major overscan problem with your TV, you shouldn't need much more most of the time. But each to their own.