4:3 aspect ratio on hdtv

[rikit]

I have a question about viewing my edited video output on a hdtv 17". I am using 4:3 aspect ratio 720 x 480. I am using a regular tv to view my output currently. I want to lighten the load on my desk. Will the output look wierd such as stretched or so forth? Please tell me what I am up against. rikit

[Baldrick]

just use a good player that can keep the 4:3 aspect ratio and it will look okey on everything. like zoom player!

[rikit]

maybe you miss understood me. As I am editing, I use my tv as a preview monitor to see the outcome of my edited video. This is all coming from my computer, ran out my donggle through right and left, video composite cables. Hope that explains better.

[Baldrick]

okey...what do you edit with?

[ebenton]

If you are putting 4:3 video into an HDTV, it depends on the TV, I think. I have a Sony 42" HDTV, and you can set up a 4:3 picture to have sidebars or stretch. If it's stretched, it doesn't look "weird", but the video quality sometimes looks poorer than it would if it were viewed with sidebars, and you can lose parts of the picture at the extreme top and bottom edges, such as the running "banners" on cable news broadcasts. When viewed with sidebars, the quality is the same as it would be on a regular TV.
Again, some of this is probably dependent on your HDTV.

[rikit]

It sounds like it would be hard to tell if my edited video would fit in the screen on a regular tv, if I used side bars. Most of my viewers for the most part will still be using regular tv.

[JimJohnD]

If you are capturing 4:3, editing 4:3 and authoring 4:3 it will look fine on a regular (4:3) TV. ALL HDTVs will display 4:3 in it's proper aspect ratio. What I think you really want to know about is overscan. In your video editor you should be able to find guide frames for both "Title Safe" and "Action" areas. Keep the important stuff within these boundries and you'll be good to go no matter what it's viewed on.

[rikit]

yes
thank you.