Files that won't display their correct aspect ratio on blu-ray player

[Nico Darko]

Hi.
So I have a bunch of 4:3 files, and some of them are fully stretched to 16:9 when I play them on both my blu-ray players (Sony, Samsung).
I noticed that the ones that are displayed properly in 4:3 are the ones with the resolution of 716x480, 718x480 or 710x480. But all the 710x478 or 716x478 ones are stretched to 16:9.
I can get them to display in 4:3 using jmkvpropedit, the problem is that I don't want total 4:3 since they're slightly cropped on the sides, so the display AR of 4:3 is still a little stretched. The files with 480 pixels in height play perfectly on my player, not stretched to 4:3 or 16:9.
How can I make my other files to be displayed that same way?

Here's an example of a file that gets stretched:

General
Unique ID : 120257900448391114162956227335729815703 (0x5A78D44352B92EECA7A6FD190639A097)
Complete name : E:\103.mkv
Format : Matroska
Format version : Version 4
File size : 287 MiB
Duration : 21 min 55 s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 1 832 kb/s
Movie name : Jack of All Trades - S01E03 - The Floundering Father
Encoded date : UTC 2021-02-03 18:42:07
Writing application : HandBrake 1.2.2 2019022300
Writing library : Lavf58.20.100
ErrorDetectionType : Per level 1

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Main@L3
Format settings : CABAC / 1 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, Reference fra : 1 frame
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 21 min 55 s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Maximum bit rate : 2 000 kb/s
Width : 716 pixels
Height : 478 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate mode : Variable
Original frame rate : 29.970 FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Default : Yes
Forced : No
Color range : Limited
Color primaries : BT.601 NTSC
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.601

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AAC LC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID : A_AAC-2
Duration : 21 min 54 s
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel layout : L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate : 46.875 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode : Lossy
Delay relative to video : -9 ms
Title : Stereo
Language : English
Default : Yes
Forced : No

Text
ID : 3
Format : VobSub
Codec ID : S_VOBSUB
Codec ID/Info : Picture based subtitle format used on DVDs
Duration : 21 min 21 s
Language : English
Default : No
Forced : No

Menu
00:00:00.000 : :Chapter 1
00:04:57.587 : :Chapter 2
00:11:53.169 : :Chapter 3
00:21:22.002 : :Chapter 4

I have the same issue with several mp4 files like these:

General
Complete name : E:\Download\S02E02.m4v
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID : mp42 (isom/iso2/avc1/mp41)
File size : 543 MiB
Duration : 44 min 12 s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 1 717 kb/s
Encoded date : UTC 2016-04-09 02:29:34
Tagged date : UTC 2016-04-09 02:29:34
Writing application : HandBrake 0.10.5 2016021100

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.1
Format settings : CABAC / 16 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, Reference fra : 16 frames
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 44 min 12 s
Bit rate : 1 551 kb/s
Width : 712 pixels
Height : 482 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Original display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate mode : Variable
Frame rate : 24.426 FPS
Minimum frame rate : 17.120 FPS
Maximum frame rate : 29.970 FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.185
Stream size : 490 MiB (90%)
Writing library : x264 core 142 r2479 dd79a61
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=16 / deblock=1:-1:-1 / analyse=0x3:0x133 / me=umh / subme=10 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.15 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=24 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=2 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-3 / threads=6 / lookahead_threads=1 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=8 / b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=2 / b_bias=0 / direct=3 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=300 / keyint_min=30 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=60 / rc=crf / mbtree=1 / crf=20.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=0 / qpmax=69 / qpstep=4 / vbv_maxrate=62500 / vbv_bufsize=78125 / crf_max=0.0 / nal_hrd=none / filler=0 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00
Encoded date : UTC 2016-04-09 02:29:34
Tagged date : UTC 2016-04-09 02:29:34
Color range : Limited
Color primaries : BT.601 NTSC
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.601
Menus : 3
Codec configuration box : avcC

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AAC LC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID : mp4a-40-2
Duration : 44 min 12 s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 160 kb/s
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel layout : L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate : 46.875 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 50.6 MiB (9%)
Title : Stereo / Stereo
Language : English
Default : Yes
Alternate group : 1
Encoded date : UTC 2016-04-09 02:29:34
Tagged date : UTC 2016-04-09 02:29:34
Menus : 3

Menu
ID : 3
Codec ID : text
Duration : 44 min 12 s
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2016-04-09 02:29:34
Tagged date : UTC 2016-04-09 02:29:34
Bit rate mode : CBR
Menu For : 1,2
00:00:00.000 : Chapter 1
00:05:00.233 : Chapter 2
00:21:42.101 : Chapter 3
00:30:45.444 : Chapter 4
Bit rate mode : Constant

Thank you.

[ProWo]

For the video with wrong DAR (display aspect ratio) try to remux them with clever FFmpeg-GUI.
Load your file, main, multiplex, video and audio track are arready selected, click target file, accept the proposed filname, set the desired container (mkv, mp4), on aspect ratio set value and set here 1.333 (for 4:3), click multiplex. Done.
Check with your BR-Player, if the aspect ratio is correct now.
(You can also try 1.4, this is a little wider).

[Nico Darko]

Thanks, won't they be (slightly) stretched to 4:3 though, like they were when I changed the DAR with jmkvpropedit?

[Budman1]

If you are familiar with ffmpeg you can just change the aspect easily without Re-encoding. FFMpeg also lends itself to using it in a batch format,.

Video normally plays in 16/9 format
Width : 1152 pixels
Height : 648 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9

"C:\Users\Bud\Desktop\ffmpeg" -i "C:\Users\Bud\Desktop\0_0_xInstagram.mp4" -aspect 4/3 -c copy -y "C:\Users\Bud\Desktop\Aspect_0_0_xInstagram.mp4"

Now plays in 4/3 format
Width : 1152 pixels
Height : 648 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3

[Nico Darko]

I know, but that code will change the display aspect ratio to full 4:3 right? my files are all slightly less wide than 4:3, with a resolution varying from 710x478 to 712x482. So a full 4:3 aspect ratio means they get slightly stretched on my blu-ray player

[Sharc]

Add borders such as to pad them all to the same frame size, and encode as 4:3.

[Nico Darko]

@Sharc: thanks, but the idea is to not re-encode the files. My files that are 710x480 play in their proper aspect ratio, I don't get why 710x478 get stretched to 16:9.

[ProWo]

Because the container has no DAR Info.

[Nico Darko]

But it does, I've posted the details earlier:

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Main@L3
Format settings : CABAC / 1 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, Reference fra : 1 frame
Codec ID : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration : 21 min 55 s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Maximum bit rate : 2 000 kb/s
Width : 716 pixels
Height : 478 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate mode : Variable
Original frame rate : 29.970 FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Default : Yes
Forced : No
Color range : Limited
Color primaries : BT.601 NTSC
Transfer characteristics : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.601

[ProWo]

This is the videostream info

[Nico Darko]

Ok.
I've just compared it to a video that does play in the correct aspect ratio, and the main difference I can see is the "Original display aspect ratio : 4:3" part. But it still plays properly, not stretched to 4:3.

Duration : 21 min 52 s
Width : 718 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Original display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate mode : Constant

I'll try clever FFmpeg-GUI.

[Budman1]

How your videos is sometimes complicated with resolution, actual resolution(width/height), pixel*frames and previous resolution. First you have to determine if the videos have letterbox, pillar bars added permanently. If the have then these will always take less screen area no matter how you set the aspect t.
If the video is without permanent bars, the just set the aspect to the actual. In your case 712x468 are actually older to 3/2 than 4/3.
Realize that if your video says 712x468 or other then that's all you have. Any filling of a 16/9 screen will be done by the player or tv.

[Nico Darko]

FFmpeg-GUI won't work, I get an error message trying to import the files.

But I did find the solution!! I remuxed one m4v file with MKVToolNix, didn't touch anything, left it as 712x482 pixels (displayed 635:482, that's what Media Player Classic shows), and it now plays perfectly on my my player, no stretching to 16:9 or 4:3.

The line "Original display aspect ratio : 4:3" present in the previous file is now gone, I don't know if that has anything to do with it. I wish I knew exactly was caused the issue, but I'm happy there was no need to re-encode!

Now I'd like to use a command line with ffmpeg to batch remux all those m4v files to an mkv container? Could anyone help me with that?