Video captures at wrong size/aspect ratio

[mcompton69]

I have just bought a Plextor ConvertX PX-M402U capture/encode. It comes with the Platinum version of InterVideo WinDVD Creator 2.

When i record stuff from my TV DVR, that is transmitted to 16:9 it is recorded in 4:3. I do not mean that the captured video is cropped, I mean that all the video is there but when played back it is horizontally squashed.
When I play it back my Media Player Classic says it is in 720 x 576 (AR 4:3).

I have gone through all the settings in WinDVD Creator and there is nothing about the video size/aspect ratio, in fact there are almost no settings what so ever.

If I change the setting on the DVR player

Do MPEG's have headers?
Is there a way I can re-write the header so that it is is played back as 16:9 as oppsed to 4:3?

[thecoalman]

Yes that info is in the header, I'm sure it can be changed but I don't how. Not sure if that software supports 16:9 but if it doesn't I suggest you get some that does.

Try out Ulead Video Studio 8

[hhhhbk]

crap mpeg 2 codecs do this
i tried several and they were all choppy
i found elecard to be the best even though the aspect becomes 4:3 when it should be 16:9

try opening with power dvd this always puts mine at the correct aspect

i personally put them through auto gk and get xvids with the correct aspect ratio

does anyone know of a good mpeg2 codec which doesnt change the aspect of 16:9 files

[thecoalman]

It's the software not the codec. When capturing or authoring a DVD you need software that supports 16:9 video. There are ways around it but the easiest way is to have software that supports it.

Even playback can be affected by software, my 16:9 video does not play with the correct aspect in my older version of DVD Workshop in the preview. It plays correctly once burned to DVD. The preview bug has since been fixed.

[FulciLives]

One way to fix this at the DVD authoring stage.

However most DVD authoring software will see your properly encoded 16x9 video as being 4:3 since it is flagged as being 4:3 and most DVD authoring software will not let you manually "force" 16x9 ... but this might be possible depending on the program.

If your DVD authoring program sets the video at 4:3 and can't be changed there is a simple easy way of fixing it (after all you are just changing header info the video IS encoded correctly).

Have your DVD authoring software write the output to a VIDEO_TS folder which will have your DVD ready files (VOB, BUP, IFO etc.) then use IfoEdit to change the IFO files to read 16x9 instead of 4:3

I admit that IfoEdit can be a bit tricky to work with but with very little understanding of it's advanced functions I was able to figure this trick out myself because the first DVD authoring program I ever used was SpruceUP and it would ALWAYS flag 16x9 video as 4:3 even when the MPEG file had the correct 16x9 header flags.

Since IfoEdit is freeware this fix is totally free and as I said is none too difficult.

Also ... my guess is that there is a program out there that can change the header info in the acutal MPEG file itself but I am not aware of any with that functionality ... but I'm sure such a program does exist.

However as I just explained it can be fixed easily after the authoring stage with IfoEdit.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman