Add anamorphic "flag" to dvd without re-encoding?

[mitchfx]

Does anyone know of a tool/util that would allow me to add an "anamorphic widescreen flag" to a title that has already been encoded without recompressing the entire thing? I have a dvd recorder that doesn't allow you to force this setting on recordings, so what I'd like to do is rip each completed disc to my computer then somehow add the proper flag and then burn back to a new dvd. Not sure if this is even possible, but hoping that you can somehow append the correct data to the VOB or other files.

Thanks,
M

[Baldrick]

IfoAR2WS

[mitchfx]

Baldrick,

If you are ever in Los Angeles I will surely buy you a beer!!!

sorry about the cross-post...it just seemed like such an obscure question and I wasn't sure which community (auth vs rip) would stand a better chance of knowing a solution.

Thanks a million!
-M

[Baldrick]

No, thank ChrissyBoy instead....the creator of the little nice app...

[guns1inger]

There are two points that need to be flagged to ensure all players will playback with the correct AR. The video itself needs to be encoded with the 16:9 flag, and the IFO needs to also have the fact that the title is 16:9. IFO2WS, IFOEdit and PGCEdit will all change the ifo files to reflect the correct AR, however this does not change the video itself. To do this you need to demux the video, then use ReStream or DVD Patcher to change the AR flag. If you are going to do this, you might as well author a new menu and author in widescreen.

[mitchfx]

Guns1inger,

Guess I got excited too soon Would going the Demux route mean I will have to re-encode/re-compress the video? If not then I'm ok with it. What I'm needing to do is change the AR on recordings that were done with a consumer DVD Recorder unit that does NOT allow the widescreen flag to be set (always assumes 4:3).

Thanks
M

[SLK001]

You shouldn't have to re-encode using ReStream (much more stable than DVD Patcher). One question. How did you capture 16:9 material on a 4:3 TV without it being letterboxed?

[mitchfx]

You shouldn't have to re-encode using ReStream (much more stable than DVD Patcher). One question. How did you capture 16:9 material on a 4:3 TV without it being letterboxed?

Im recording via the S-Video out of a Dish vip622 HD DVR, which luckily outputs an anamorphic signal when it's set to widescreen TV for the component and HDMI outputs. The dvd recorder is a samsung R135, which does a good job but doesn't allow you to "force" the anamorphic flag on recordings. When I view the resulting discs on either of my widescreen HD TVs, it's not too bad since I can simply change the aspect of the Set to FULL and all is good. It's only slightly annoying since I have my TVs set to auto detect 4:3 and switch to "Wide Zoom" mode, so i have to manually change it every time.

However, if I need to give recordings to anyone with a 4:3 set they will be forced to watch in "squish-o-vision" since their dvd player will assume it's 4:3 content and NOT add the proper letterbox bars. Why more manufacturers don't provide this setting is beyond me.

-M

[Alex_ander]

You also need not demux for using DVDPatcher, it works with VOBs.
But if your video was originally encoded with borders, only re-encoding can change AR.

Edit: from what you told a minute before you seem to have just 'flag' problem, so patching ifo's (most important) + VOBs should help.

[dphirschler]

Let me see if I understand this... I have an Elton John concert DVD that was filmed anamorphic widescreen. But when I play it back, the player thinks it's a 4:3 and so I get squish-o-vision. I can play it on my 7" portable (widescreen) DVD player and it looks perfect stretched out widescreen.

Am I to understand that IfoAR2WS will fix this by setting a flag to widescreen somewhere in VIDEO_TS folder structure? Or will I have to open it in Restream and make some more changes?


Darryl

[Cornucopia]

I think he meant to say: Use IFOAR2WS on the IFO's and DVDPatcher on the VOB's and you're good to go.

**Note**: DVDPatcher does save a new file (and takes a little while to do), but it is NOT re-encoding, just creating a new "flag-swapped" file. This will be the one you will use.

Scott

[SLK001]

A DVD player only looks in the .IFO files for the aspect ratio, so you shouldn't need to even use Restream, or any other header manipulator.

Darryl,
I think your problem is that either your DVD player isn't properly set up, or it is defective (especially if your portable player plays the DVD correctly). Or the DVD could have been improperly authored. Or your portable player plays everything in WS. Or, there's simply just too many possibilities to guess!

[dphirschler]

A DVD player only looks in the .IFO files for the aspect ratio, so you shouldn't need to even use Restream, or any other header manipulator.

Darryl,
I think your problem is that either your DVD player isn't properly set up, or it is defective (especially if your portable player plays the DVD correctly). Or the DVD could have been improperly authored. Or your portable player plays everything in WS. Or, there's simply just too many possibilities to guess!

No need to guess. I know it's the DVD, not my player(s). All my other anamorphic widescreen DVDs play perfectly. This one is authored incorrectly. It's not a pro DVD release, but an amateur job. The author just forgot to check the 16x9 flag when he encoded the video (or maybe when he authored the DVD). I have to hit "stretch" on the portable to make it appear correctly. The portable thinks it's stretching a 4x3, which some people like to do (some people prefer to trade correct aspect ratio with eliminating black boxes on the side).


Darryl

[ntscuser]

Can someone explain this? I record all my DVDs on a Panasonic standalone in 16x9 mode. When I play them back on the Panasonic they stretch to fill the 16x9 screen. When I play the same home made discs back on a Pioneer standalone DVD player the picture is squeezed (distorted) to fit a 4:3 picture area. I have to manually select stretch mode on the TV remote to make them fill the screen. The same is true for home made recordings made on a friend's Panasonic.

Commercial discs play back at the correct aspect ration on both machines.

It's no big deal I'm just curious as to why the Pansonic DVD recorder can automatically stretch home made recordings to fill the screen but the standalone DVD player can't? Both are connected via RGB scart to the same input on the TV and all settings are the same for both machines. Swapping scart leads makes no difference.

[FulciLives]

DING DING DING DING DING



A big light bulb just went off for me ...

I have a commercial DVD Video by this really shit-tard of a company (but they release some good titles) and on one DVD player of mine this 16x9 WS ANAMORPHIC title plays back A-OK but on my other DVD player it plays as if it isn't flagged properly for 16x9.

I always wondered how the hell they managed to do that! (from my reading this affects at least 2 or 3 of this company's releases from a specific time period).

Now I know. They probably had 16x9 in the IFO etc. but the video itself was incorrectly flagged 4:3 and apparently one of my DVD players looks at the IFO and one looks at the video itself.

I've known about the IFO setting for a LONG time but I figured it that was the error then every DVD player would play it back incorrectly and I couldn't figure out how they managed to do it so that some DVD players play it back correctly but some do not. Now I know.

Learn something knew every day!

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[dphirschler]

I think the lightbulbs are going off for me too. Now I think I understand what guns1inger is saying way up at the top of this thread. Looking back, he was actually quite clear in what he recommended.


Darryl