Movie editing/messing with aspect ratio

[frodawgg]

Hi,

I'm new here so please forgive me if there is another post similar to this elsewhere.


I need a program recommendation. I'm the farthest thing from a "techie", so I don't know where to begin. I have Windows Movie Maker and 123 Copy DVD, but I doubt they're capable of doing what I want to do (but please correct me if I'm wrong!).


You probably all know that "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises" were released in IMAX, with shifting aspect ratios throughout the film. When they were released on Blu-ray, this was still the case, but the IMAX scenes were cropped to fit 16x9 TVs. A supplemental disc was released with (most of) those scenes in their original 1.44:1 ratio. I am trying to make copies of the films in the "true" IMAX experience; I know I won't be able to duplicate the original theatrical resolution, but present it in the intended aspect on a home projector.


I aim to do this by presenting it in a 4:3 presentation, having the actual images in their original ratios (non-IMAX in 2.40:1, IMAX in 1.44:1, which is a little wider than 4:3, so it won't fill the screen completely vertically), and shift throughout.


According to Blu-ray.com, the specs are as follows:
-TDK: 1080p/VC-1 (24 mbps); Dolby True HD 5.1 (48 kHz/16-bit)
-TDKR: 1080p/AVC MPEG-4; DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit)


I guess what I'm looking for here is an inexpensive program that is relatively easy for novices, yet will still allow me to do this and retain the above quality, or a comparable one.


Thanks so much in advance! Much appreciated.


Jason

[sanlyn]

Do you want DVD, BluRay.or AVCHD?
DVD (PAL/NTSC): https://www.videohelp.com/dvd#tech
BluRay/AVCHD (PAL/NTSC): https://www.videohelp.com/hd#tech

[smrpix]

Your best bet is to simply replace the current 16:9 material with the imax, otherwise you're shrinking and ruining the quality of everything. You would need to break the film into pieces and reassemble it with something like TMPGenc Smart Renderer.

That being said, even the filmmakers didn't think this was such a bright idea.

[frodawgg]

Right, I was thinking of doing that. I figured to do it the way I want to I would have to break it down. The problem with just replacing the 16x9 portions is that yes, it would capture the vertical part, but it wouldn't be the same width of the 2.40:1 scenes. (That's actually how it's presented on the supplemental disc when in context with non-IMAX shots). Even I were going to do that but still want the widths equal, I would have to shrink the non-IMAX ones. When presented, because it's on a 16x9 display, it would only take up the middle of the screen, whereas if I did it in 4:3, it would be a lot bigger on a projector.

Thanks for the input.

[smrpix]

Here are your two basic options in a Blu Ray frame (either is better than 4:3):



If you go for the second you are losing significant image quality for almost the entire film. You can project it bigger, but it will be fuzzier.

[sanlyn]

If you want to avoid damage and hassle from resizing everything, you can still use 4:3 for BluRay, because "standard definition" BluRay uses the same 720x480 4:3 or 16:9 frame as standard DVD. Rather than re-encode ad infinitum and lose quality, use a smart rendring editor such as TMPGEnc Smart Renderer v4. The app works with either good ole "DVD" or with HD i/o, but it's not an encoder. If you want MPEG4/h264, you will have to re-encode from MPEG2. It can be done, but you have a bit of research ahead to do that properly.

[frodawgg]

Both of your explanations are very helpful.

I won't be able to get to it until after Thanksgiving, so I have time to think about it and get all my pieces in order.


Thanks!

[frodawgg]

OK, would it be weird if--and this is a serious proposal--I commissioned one of you two who have been such a help, or anyone else you may recommend, to do this project for me? Honestly, I don't think it would benefit me much to buy a program I'll probably only use once, and most likely still not be able to figure it out. I have an email into IMAX requesting to simply purchase a digital copy of their prints, but I'm pretty sure I know what the answer will be.

I will gladly pay for time and service, and I will provide copies of all the source materials (on a flash drive, which can be used for storing the new edits on). I'll also include specific details and requests.


Please let me know if interested or if there is a direction in which you can point me.


Thanks!


Jason

[hello_hello]

Another thought, depending on the media player being used......
MKV files can be linked, and while it's been a while since I've messed with linked MKVs, I'm pretty sure there's no requirement for them to have the same resolution or even type of audio, so you should be able to keep the original aspect ratio/resolution for each section of the movie. Running full screen on a monitor/TV I'm pretty sure the player will just resize accordingly as it plays each linked segment (resize to the monitor/TV's resolution). How it'd work when using a projector I'm not sure but I'm assume it'd be the same.

Having said that.....
I've briefly tested playing linked MKVs using MPC-HC with the Haali media splitter and also the LAV splitter/decoders (which MPC-HC now uses internally). I'm pretty sure Haali gets MPC-HC to load each segment in succession (as it plays), which is maybe why it doesn't seem to matter if the audio and video are different. When using the LAV splitter I'm pretty sure it opens all the linked segments as a single video so I think it's fussier about the audio being the same in each segment and possibly the type of video. If memory serves me correctly linked MKVs of different resolutions aren't a problem though.

Using MKVMergeGUI's header editor to link MKVs isn't too hard, but chances are linked MKVs aren't supported by hardware players and even software player support probably isn't guaranteed. MPC-HC with the Haali splitter should work though. You could split and remux the original video (or re-encode it) into individual MKVs as required, then link them together.

[frodawgg]

Thanks. I was thinking about going with the TMPGEnc Smart Renderer, but it's good to have options.