VideoHelp Forum
+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 20 of 20
Thread
  1. Member gastrof's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    comfy chair
    Search Comp PM
    I recorded a widescreen movie to a DVD.

    Naturally, it's playing out as 4:3, with the widescreen picture squeezed. (Everyone looks tall and thin.) Most widescreen TVs should be able to stretch it, but older TV's won't letterbox it. They'll keep it as "squeezed".

    Once the video is on my computer's hard drive, Avidemux can be set for 16:9, but then it has to re-encode the whole video.

    Is there a way to just copy the video, but only change the aspect ratio to 16:9 so the new copy comes out locked into widescreen, so that when burned to DVD again it looks normal on a widescreen TV, but automatically letterboxed on an older TV?
    Last edited by gastrof; 25th Apr 2014 at 21:21.
    Quote Quote  
  2. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Deep in the Heart of Texas
    Search PM
    Naturally?

    What you're saying isn't strictly true. For old school TVs, a 16:9 type of DVD file's playback formatting is totally dependent upon how you have your player settings. Mine is set to "16:9" for 16:9 screens and "Letterbox" for 4:3 screens.

    Sounds to me like you just recorded it either wrongly (4:3 AR instead of 16:9), or your player is set incorrectly. Recording wrongly might have been the fault of the recorder (if it didn't give you the option to change, though those are uncommon), but it could have been that you just forgot to change the setting. Changing the setting on the DVD player for playing back 16:9 material is simple. Changing it for 4:3 material, OTOH, won't do what you're wanting it to. So, in that sense, you do need to either change the header on the existing MPG/VOB file or do a re-encode (which would lose quality).

    You are in luck: with ReStream or DVDPatcher, you should be able to change the header's DAR setting from 4:3 to 16:9 (assuming you actually were able to record anamorphically - which it sounds like you were). Note that this header exists in both the VOB/MPG's Elementary Video stream header and in the DVD's IFO/BUP files. If they don't agree, you can have unpredictable results. So you may also need to re-author, using 16:9 project settings, or patch the IFOs (and BUPs) using something like IFOEdit.

    I would NOT suggest re-encoding except as a last resort.

    Scott
    Quote Quote  
  3. Yeah, it's usually easier just to change the IFOs in PGCEdit to reflect that it's really 16:9 rather than the 4:3 it was recorded as (if that's what happened). You're not too clear how the DVD was 'recorded' but some DVD recorders will only record as 4:3.
    Quote Quote  
  4. Member gastrof's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    comfy chair
    Search Comp PM
    Cornucopia is confusing me. There's mention of settings on a player, but the player is set to accomodate whatever TV it's set to work with. That has nothing to do with the aspect ratio the disc was RECORDED in.

    The disc in question was recorded on a settop box DVD recorder, which does not have the option of recording in 16:9.

    I'm not aware of any that do. (Trust me, I wish mine did.)

    The disc that was made IS in 4:3. It even plays out that way on my computer's VLC player's default setting.

    The disc is 4:3, and there WAS no way to record it as 16:9.

    Now, that having been said, the question isn't about how the disc got that way, the question is can I take the recording off the DVD and without fully re-encoding the whole thing, just change the aspect ratio.

    I'm interested in the three suggestions given, and will look into them.

    Thanks, guys.
    Quote Quote  
  5. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Deep in the Heart of Texas
    Search PM
    Read my last big paragraph again, plus manono's.

    Scott
    Quote Quote  
  6. Originally Posted by gastrof View Post
    The disc in question was recorded on a settop box DVD recorder, which does not have the option of recording in 16:9.
    Then the recording was done in 4:3 with black bars at the top and bottom and won't be anamorphic. Your best choice is to play with the TV's picture size setting and find one that looks good enough, in theory you should have one that will give you a smaller image in the center of the screen, but the proportions will be correct.

    The only other option is to re-encode while trimming the top and bottom of the picture.
    Quote Quote  
  7. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    United States
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by nic2k4 View Post
    Originally Posted by gastrof View Post
    The disc in question was recorded on a settop box DVD recorder, which does not have the option of recording in 16:9.
    Then the recording was done in 4:3 with black bars at the top and bottom and won't be anamorphic. Your best choice is to play with the TV's picture size setting and find one that looks good enough, in theory you should have one that will give you a smaller image in the center of the screen, but the proportions will be correct.

    The only other option is to re-encode while trimming the top and bottom of the picture.
    Maybe you should re-read the first post in this thread again. The OP said that people looked too tall and thin and made no mention of letterbox bars.

    My Magnavox DVD recorder can record HD channels received via its digital tuner in anamorphic widescreen, but has no option for setting a 16:9 flag in the recordings. Everything is flagged 4:3. I think the OP has a similar situation
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 26th Apr 2014 at 16:35.
    Quote Quote  
  8. I'm not lucky enough to own a DVR with a digital tuner, when I'd record a 16:9 show through a DTV converter box I'd get black bars top and bottom. I haven't had to deal with it for a couple years since I got a Homeworx HW150PVR, but I guess on a 16:9 TV the 4:3 recording would make the people short and fat, so you're right. Changing the AR flag with either IFOedit or PGCedit should fix it.
    Quote Quote  
  9. Member gastrof's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    comfy chair
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by Cornucopia View Post
    Read my last big paragraph again, plus manono's.

    Scott
    And, I guess, please read my final two sentences!
    Quote Quote  
  10. Member gastrof's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    comfy chair
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by nic2k4 View Post
    Originally Posted by gastrof View Post
    The disc in question was recorded on a settop box DVD recorder, which does not have the option of recording in 16:9.
    Then the recording was done in 4:3 with black bars at the top and bottom and won't be anamorphic. Your best choice is to play with the TV's picture size setting and find one that looks good enough, in theory you should have one that will give you a smaller image in the center of the screen, but the proportions will be correct.

    The only other option is to re-encode while trimming the top and bottom of the picture.
    I didn't say it was letterboxed (black bars at the top and bottom). It recorded only the widescreen picture to the DVD. There are no black bars on the recording. It's the entire widescreen picture, and only the widescreen picture, but it's in the wrong aspect ratio. Thought that was made pretty plain.

    I'm not asking how to handle playback. Please don't confuse the issue.

    I asked how to go into the digital file and change the aspect ratio, if that's possible. Nothing more.

    Nothing else needs to be discussed.

    I've been given several options, none of which I've had a chance to try yet, but all are of interest.

    The first two replies seem to have given me what I need. Any similar options are also welcome.
    Quote Quote  
  11. Member gastrof's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    comfy chair
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by nic2k4 View Post
    I'm not lucky enough to own a DVR with a digital tuner, when I'd record a 16:9 show through a DTV converter box I'd get black bars top and bottom. I haven't had to deal with it for a couple years since I got a Homeworx HW150PVR, but I guess on a 16:9 TV the 4:3 recording would make the people short and fat, so you're right. Changing the AR flag with either IFOedit or PGCedit should fix it.
    You got the 16:9 picture in letterboxed 4:3 because that's what was being fed to your recorder...

    A letterboxed picture meant for a 4:3 television.

    My machine got the 16:9 picture and only that, and that's what it put on the disc...

    In 4 by 3.

    One of your suggestions was already made, but as mentioned, any further ones are welcome. Thanks.
    Quote Quote  
  12. Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    United States
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by gastrof View Post
    Now, that having been said, the question isn't about how the disc got that way, the question is can I take the recording off the DVD and without fully re-encoding the whole thing, just change the aspect ratio.

    I'm interested in the three suggestions given, and will look into them.

    Thanks, guys.
    IFOEdit was already suggested to you for changing the aspect ratio in the IFO's playback instructions, but maybe you need additional instructions. There is a guide here: http://forum.digital-digest.com/f14/using-ifoedit-setting-16-9-16x9-flag-59409.html

    If changing the playback instructions in the IFO using IFOEdit doesn't correct the problem, you will need to use DVDPatcher to correct the aspect ratio in the video headers too, as Cornucopia wrote.
    Quote Quote  
  13. Easier and faster (in my opinion) is the PGCEdit method as explained in the 4th post of that thread:

    http://forum.digital-digest.com/f14/using-ifoedit-setting-16-9-16x9-flag-59409.html#post470396
    Quote Quote  
  14. Member gastrof's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    comfy chair
    Search Comp PM
    Hey guys.

    Just used DVDPatch on the .mpg file, and it seems to have changed it to 16:9.

    Only thing is, when I check "Media Info", it reports the aspect ratio as 1.738.

    VLC plays it exactly the same whether I use the default or the 16:9 setting, so I know it's all right, but still...

    What's with the 1.738 aspect ratio? Any idea?

    (Thanks for the help, by the way!)
    Quote Quote  
  15. Originally Posted by gastrof View Post
    when I check "Media Info", it reports the aspect ratio as 1.738.
    704 vs 720 frame width.
    Quote Quote  
  16. Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Republic of Texas
    Search Comp PM
    There have been a few times where I needed (for the sake of on-the-fly expedience) to feed an anamorphic 16:9 signal into Pioneer DVD recorder that assumed everything was 4:3. A squeezed image resulted, but there did not need to be any reencoding of the video signal itself. In making the final copy, all that was needed was to change the header to instruct the playback device to play it to 16:9 (basically, telling the playback device to stretch square pixels to rectangular pixels). The tool used was one already suggested by Cornucopia: DVDPatcher. From thereon, the copied disc played widescreen on widescreen TVs, and letterboxed on older, 4:3 TV sets. This is what you wanted in your first post. Use DVDPatcher and get on with it.
    Quote Quote  
  17. Member gastrof's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    comfy chair
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by filmboss80 View Post
    There have been a few times where I needed (for the sake of on-the-fly expedience) to feed an anamorphic 16:9 signal into Pioneer DVD recorder that assumed everything was 4:3. A squeezed image resulted, but there did not need to be any reencoding of the video signal itself. In making the final copy, all that was needed was to change the header to instruct the playback device to play it to 16:9 (basically, telling the playback device to stretch square pixels to rectangular pixels). The tool used was one already suggested by Cornucopia: DVDPatcher. From thereon, the copied disc played widescreen on widescreen TVs, and letterboxed on older, 4:3 TV sets. This is what you wanted in your first post. Use DVDPatcher and get on with it.
    Is this a cognitive problem on your part, or did you not read my last post?

    The conversion was already done, using DVDPatcher.

    The current question has to do with what "Media Info" reported about the aspect ratio.

    Someone's already replied, but it seems to be only a partial answer, If you'd like to expand on what they said and clarify, feel free, but please make sure you've kept up with the thread first.

    Also, might want to mind your tone when addressing other forum members...and anyone else.
    Quote Quote  
  18. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Location
    Deep in the Heart of Texas
    Search PM
    No, I think it is a cognitive problem on YOUR part. <--- (Notice the wink).
    Filmboss was probably typing his answer while you were typing yours, so his reference page wouldn't have had your answer on it, and you are just getting picky about "somebody chiming in again". Like a football pile-on. Just get over it - these kinds of things happen all the time on forums.

    Jagabo's answer is a complete answer, you are just not inferring enough from his information. 704 / 480 * 1.2121 PAR (for widescreen using ITU sampling) = 1.777777777 (aka 16:9). 720/480 * 1.185185 PAR (for widescreen using MPEG sampling) = 1.77777777777 (aka 16:9), but 704 /480 * 1.185185 = 1.738. Meaning, DVD Patcher (being an app that works on MPEG files) assumes MPEG sampling, not ITU. But you've got a file with ITU sampling. It still applies its MPEG-sampling-based calculation on it.
    Don't sweat it. The difference is not enough to visually notice and the file will work fine either way.

    Your the only one here who seems to be copping an attitude. Roll with the flow, dude. Sometimes on sites & threads you get prickly characters, sometimes you don't but think you do because of language barrier or lack of non-verbals, different assumptions due to incomplete info, etc., but that doesn't mean you let it get to you. I've had to deal with much worse here but I'm still here after 13+ years. And I'm not what one would usually call "thick-skinned".

    Scott
    Quote Quote  
  19. Member gastrof's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    comfy chair
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by Cornucopia View Post
    No, I think it is a cognitive problem on YOUR part. <--- (Notice the wink).
    Filmboss was probably typing his answer while you were typing yours, so his reference page wouldn't have had your answer on it, and you are just getting picky about "somebody chiming in again". Like a football pile-on. Just get over it - these kinds of things happen all the time on forums.

    Jagabo's answer is a complete answer, you are just not inferring enough from his information. 704 / 480 * 1.2121 PAR (for widescreen using ITU sampling) = 1.777777777 (aka 16:9). 720/480 * 1.185185 PAR (for widescreen using MPEG sampling) = 1.77777777777 (aka 16:9), but 704 /480 * 1.185185 = 1.738. Meaning, DVD Patcher (being an app that works on MPEG files) assumes MPEG sampling, not ITU. But you've got a file with ITU sampling. It still applies its MPEG-sampling-based calculation on it.
    Don't sweat it. The difference is not enough to visually notice and the file will work fine either way.

    Your the only one here who seems to be copping an attitude. Roll with the flow, dude. Sometimes on sites & threads you get prickly characters, sometimes you don't but think you do because of language barrier or lack of non-verbals, different assumptions due to incomplete info, etc., but that doesn't mean you let it get to you. I've had to deal with much worse here but I'm still here after 13+ years. And I'm not what one would usually call "thick-skinned".

    Scott

    Actually, my reply had been up for about a half hour.

    He couldn't have read the thread, and so wasn't up to date.

    He also got superior by saying "get on with it".

    As for the football game comparison, I'd say this is more like an office meeting. "Piling on" just isn't done in that setting...nor this one.

    I know these things happen, but that doesn't make it appropriate. That's why I suggested he keep up with a thread before replying.

    Jagabo's answer was incomplete, for me, because I had no idea what he meant. That's why clarification was said to be welcome.

    I certainly don't have an attitude. I asked for help, got it, and expressed appreciation.

    Then someone else came in and got disrespectful.

    I think you may have lost a little something in life, and need to recapture it. In the meantime, you're making far too much of this. He was wrong, I said so (so that he hopefully will think twice before doing it to someone else), and for some reason you're running to his defense.

    You're right people get prickly on forums sometimes, and when they do, someone should say something.

    As for you and me, you were the one to recommend DVDPatcher, and it's worked like a champ. I appreciate the information. Have LOTS of uses for that program, now that I'm aware of it. Thank you.
    Quote Quote  
  20. Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Republic of Texas
    Search Comp PM
    Originally Posted by Cornucopia View Post
    Filmboss was probably typing his answer while you were typing yours, so his reference page wouldn't have had your answer on it...
    Yeah, sometimes interruptions at my work keep me from quickly finishing replies, and I don't refresh the page since I don't want to lose what I started.

    I'll let the OP's responses to our posts speak for his character.
    Quote Quote  
Visit our sponsor! Try DVDFab and backup Blu-rays!