704x576 vs 720x576?

[klinika]

As I see it, 704(702)x576 and 720x576 (with padded sides) should give exactly the same aspect ratio when viewed on tv. How can it be? I read somewhere (very unofficial source ) that dvd player crops pixels when the picture is 720 pixels wide in order to get 704, and if the picture on the dvd already is 704 pixels wide, it passes it on as it is. Is this true? This is something I've never quite managed to figure out. Why author in 720 with black borders when you get more bits per pixel with 704 and no padding?

Edit: Sorry I think I posted this in the wrong forum, please feel free to move this if you will.

[scardi]

Hi Klinika

Have a look at the BBC site.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/branding/picturesize.shtml [url]

There you'll get the answers

[yoda313]

Hello,

Here's a thread from this website covering the same topic:

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=233653&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=704 vs 720

I don't know what the group consensu was but there are about five pages of user opinions. Worth a read

Kevin

[klinika]

Thanks to you both! I had been to that bbc site before but hadn't read it with this kind of scenario in mind. Anyways, the bbc link made me think that dvd players actually "pad" (or center the picture) rather than crop and the thread made me more sure of it. So it's all pretty clear now, thanks again! I can keep on making those 704 dvd's, and just blame it on the crappy hardware