something doesn't make sense (aspect ratio question)

[njitgrad]

Here's the deal...I have two flavors of DV AVI files, one from a Sony D8 camcorder (that I was using from 2000 to 2006), and one from a Sony MiniDV camcorder (2005 to 2009).

When I view the AVI thumbnails in Pinnacle, you can tell that the newer footage is "wider" than the older footage because when I was recording with the MiniDV camcorder, I always used the widescreen mode.

When I run MediaInfo on the two different AVIs, the reports indicate that they are both 720x480 DV.
It states that the aspect ratio for the older footage is 4:3 (1.33) while the aspect ratio for the newer footage is 16:9 (1.77).

But isn't 720x480 supposed to have an aspect ratio of 720/480 = 1.5 ??

Also, when I create an Xvid AVI using the newer footage, if I select 720x480 as the output size, the footage looks distorted when viewed on my HD TV using my new Boxee Box and it doesn't fill the screen. However, if I select 720x400 as the output size, it fills the whole TV screen and does not look distored. What is actually happening here? Was the actual recorded footage 720x400 or 720x480?

Any clarifications would be appreciated.

MediaInfo Reports are below, items of interest are in red font:

General
Complete name : G:\Raw DV AVI\2006.05.23 to 2006.12.16.avi
Format : AVI
Format/Info : Audio Video Interleave
Format_Commercial_IfAny : DVCPRO
Format profile : OpenDML
File size : 14.2 GiB
Duration : 51mn 7s
Overall bit rate : 39.9 Mbps
Recorded date : 2006-05-28 12:14:40
Comment : +g

Video
ID : 0
Format : DV
Format_Commercial_IfAny : DVCPRO
Codec ID : dvsd
Codec ID/Hint : Sony
Duration : 51mn 7s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 24.4 Mbps
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 29.970 fps
Standard : NTSC
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:1:1
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Interlaced
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 2.357
Stream size : 10.3 GiB (72%)
Encoding settings : ae mode=full automatic / wb mode=automatic / white balance= / fcm=manual focus
Audio
ID : 1
Format : PCM
Format settings, Endianness : Little
Format settings, Sign : Signed
Codec ID : 1
Codec ID/Hint : Microsoft
Duration : 51mn 6s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 1 536 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Stream size : 561 MiB (4%)
Interleave, duration : 0 ms (0.01 video frame)


General
Complete name : G:\Raw DV AVI\2009.04.11 to 2009.07.25.avi
Format : AVI
Format/Info : Audio Video Interleave
Format_Commercial_IfAny : DVCPRO
Format profile : OpenDML
File size : 10.6 GiB
Duration : 52mn 25s
Overall bit rate : 28.9 Mbps
Recorded date : 2009-04-11 18:52:22
Video
ID : 0
Format : DV
Format_Commercial_IfAny : DVCPRO
Duration : 52mn 25s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 24.4 Mbps
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 29.970 fps
Standard : NTSC
Chroma subsampling : 4:1:1
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Interlaced
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 2.357
Stream size : 10.5 GiB (100%)
Encoding settings : ae mode=full automatic / wb mode=automatic / white balance= / fcm=manual focus
Audio #1
ID : 0-0
Format : PCM
Muxing mode : DV
Muxing mode, more info : Muxed in Video #1
Duration : 52mn 25s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 768 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 32.0 KHz
Bit depth : 12 bits
Stream size : 0.00 Byte (0%)

[Baldrick]

The Display Aspect Ratio is 4:3 or 16:9.
The Pixel Aspect Ratio is 1:5.

The video player should resize the image to the Display Aspect Ratio BUT not all players supports display aspect ratio in avi xvid files .So you have to resize the avi so it has same display aspect ratio and pixel aspect ratio.

Read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspect_ratio_%28image%29

[njitgrad]

The Display Aspect Ratio is 4:3 or 16:9.
The Pixel Aspect Ratio is 1:5.

The video player should resize the image to the Display Aspect Ratio BUT not players supports display aspect ratio in avi xvid files .So you have to resize the avi so it has same display aspect ratio and pixel aspect ratio.

Read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspect_ratio_%28image%29

Still doesn't make sense. If you have 720x480 video footage and try to display that using a Displace Aspect Ratio of 4:3, shouldn't it make people look thinner, and likewise for 16:9 shouldn't it make people seem wider?

[Baldrick]

Nope, because it is recorded in 4:3 or 16:9 and saved and resized to 720x480.

[jagabo]

The camera takes a 16:9 image and squishes it horizontally to fit a 720x480 frame. Or it takes a 4:3 image and stretches it horizontally to fit a 720x480 frame. On playback the opposite is done. The 720x480 frame is stretched to 16:9 or squished to 4:3 for display.

[njitgrad]

The camera takes a 16:9 image and squishes it horizontally to fit a 720x480 frame. Or it takes a 4:3 image and stretches it horizontally to fit a 720x480 frame. On playback the opposite is done. The 720x480 frame is stretched to 16:9 or squished to 4:3 for display.

That simple explanation makes complete sense...the frame size is constant at 720x480.
The image written to each frame is distorted per the chosen aspect ratio when recording.
The player reads the aspect ratio so it knows how to display it.
Does that sound about right?

[jagabo]

the frame size is constant at 720x480.
The image written to each frame is distorted per the chosen aspect ratio when recording.
The player reads the aspect ratio so it knows how to display it.
Does that sound about right?

Yes. The same happens with anamorphic film. A special lens squishes the widescreen image to fit the 35mm film. When projected another lens is used to stretch the picture back to widescreen.