Arcsoft TV Safe Zone problem.

[MaxG]

Hello,

I am having a problem with converting some tapes I have to DVD. What happens is that I capture the VHS to mpeg format and try to transfer them to DVD for some reason the outer parts of the image is taken out. It's hard to explain. But it looks about 1 inch is taken out from the image from all sides. Sometimes this causes the image to not be shown properly on the DVD transfer. I'm thinking it might be my software (ArcSoft DVD2) but I'm not sure.

When I watch the mepg file in media player everything looks fine. It only happens when I transfer it to DVD.

The software calls this the tv safe zone and cuts out the parts outside the box when I put it on DVD .

Example: Here would be the image when played on the original VHS or when transfered to my computer and played in mediaplayer.
------------
O
[]/
/\
d b
------------


When I put this file on a dvd it looks like this.

-----------
U
[]/
/\
-----------

The top of the head and feet get cut off and the sides too. Does anyone have experience with ArcSoft DVD2 and can tell me how to stop this from happening. If not I guess I can try another DVD authoring program.

[jagabo]

I think you'll find the missing parts of the picture are caused by your TV, not the software. Look up "overscan".

Although one thing hints you might have a different problem: since you are capturing from VHS tape, how does the picture look when you simply watch the tape on the TV? Is the same amount of picture missing?

If you are cropping the frame on the computer (because there's crap around the edges) -- don't. Leave it there or simply mask it with black. Then the crap/black will be in the overscan area.

[MaxG]

Thanks for the reply. However I don't believe my tv is the problem. When I watch the tape directly from the vcr everything looks fine. No cutting off of the edges.

I'm not cropping anything (the edges are fine) but that's what seems to be happening when I transfer the mpeg to a DVD. I want to keep everything as is. Aspect/ratio etc.

[mikiem]

IF it helps, during and after capture (using full frame size (720 x 480), on your PC you should see more of the image then you do playing the original tape on your TV. If everything goes right, when the same video image goes from DVD Player to your TV, the same margins as on original tape are hidden.

If that isn't what's happening, then somewhere the video's getting cropped, and should be able to play the different stages on your PC to tell when/where. If you don't see a larger picture capturing, then that's a problem. If your picture shrinks (viewed on your PC) after your authoring software creates the DVD layout, then it's probably re-encoding and cropping.

The safe area is normally that area that you can count on as safe for titling etc., as TVs vary in how much of the picture they show.