What is the best lossless software for mac to convert 4:3 to 16:9?

[okizen]

I'm a mac user and I'm looking to convert some dvds from 4:3 to 16:9 for playback on my widescreen tv. Does anyone know what would be the best software for lossless conversion?

[manono]

I'm a mac user and I'm looking to convert some dvds from 4:3 to 16:9 for playback on my widescreen tv. Does anyone know what would be the best software for lossless conversion?

Just use the zoom on your remote control. Nothing you can do will make it look any better.

Is there something wrong with watching it the way it was intended? You don't like black bars on the sides? Or is this a widescreen 4:3 DVD so you have bars on all four sides?

[okizen]

I'm a mac user and I'm looking to convert some dvds from 4:3 to 16:9 for playback on my widescreen tv. Does anyone know what would be the best software for lossless conversion?

Just use the zoom on your remote control. Nothing you can do will make it look any better.

Is there something wrong with watching it the way it was intended? You don't like black bars on the sides? Or is this a widescreen 4:3 DVD so you have bars on all four sides?

Sorry l meant I wanted to convert the dvds to the 16:9 mkv format and because the dvds do have a black bar on each side.

[LigH.de]

So how do you want to get rid of the "pillarbox"?

a) Zoom in so that you will lose what has been on the top and bottom of the video content?

b) Stretch the video wide so that you will see "fat" people and ovals what should be circles?

Both ways would have their disadvantages. Possibly more than leaving just a part of the screen unused. Some TV sets already have a zoom function which stretches the left and right borders more than the center, so that proportions are kept at least in the middle of the action.

[manono]

Sorry l meant I wanted to convert the dvds to the 16:9 mkv format and because the dvds do have a black bar on each side.

It's a damned stupid idea. You know that, right?

1. Crop 60 rows of pixels from both top and bottom (or some combination totaling 120) if for NTSC or 72 rows of pixels from both top and bottom (or some combination totaling 144) if for PAL.

2. Resize to some 1.778:1 ratio. 640x360, 854x480, 1024x576, 1280x720, 1920x1080, etc.

It won't be lossless because a complete reencode is required. How it's done on a Mac, who knows? Most people doing this kind of work are on Windows machines. The other way, which is lossless, is to insert an aspect ratio flag into the video to have it play as 16:9. It'll make everyone look fat and won't be honored by many players, probably including whatever it is you use to play them on your television. Again, how this is done on a Mac, don't know.

[hello_hello]

Chances are the TV has an option to zoom-in and display 4:3 video on a 16:9 screen. The top and bottom of the video will be cut off. If you're lucky, the TV will also have a function that lets you move the picture up and down. I'd zoom in, and then move the picture down a bit because the vital picture area tends to be a bit above the centre of the image, so by moving it down a bit you cut off less from the top than from the bottom.

It'll never be perfect. Sometimes people's heads will be cut off at the top, or at the bottom etc, and sometimes close-ups can look a bit unnaturally close, but it's better than stretching the picture to fill the screen.

As manono said, the only other alternative is to re-encode the DVDs and remove some of the picture top and bottom until what's left is 16:9. You'll still have the same issues with objects being cut-off now and then, so I'd look for a zooming option from your TV first.

Or..... If you happen to have your PC/laptop connected to your TV and you're using it for playback, you'll have more control in respect to zooming and moving the picture up and down etc. You'll still be cutting off some of the picture while zooming in, but if your TV won't do it, a software media player such as MPC-HC will.

[Tom Saurus]

I'm a mac user and I'm looking to convert some dvds from 4:3 to 16:9 for playback on my widescreen tv. Does anyone know what would be the best software for lossless conversion?

I would suggest if the TV show or movie was originally 4:3 stay with that. The black bars on the side are not so bad. I find it best to watch it the way it was originally broadcast. There is probably some things you can use with your DVD player or Blu ray player to stretch the video if you chose to.

[okizen]

Thanks for all your suggestions.