Stuck recording at 720x480?

[Rein Engel]

I'm using the ATI TV Wonder 650 PCI card.

When I try to change the output resolution to anything besides 720x480, it won't allow it. I've tried in both VirtualDub and iuVCR, the two programs I alternate between.

iuVCR gives the message:

Unable set selected format!

VirtualDub says:

The capture device does not support the selected video format.

So this card only supports that one oblong resolution? I can't even crop properly because when I try to downgrade the video quality to make it available for upload on the Internet, my compression programs (Windows Movie Maker for example) add black bars to the top and bottom of the video.

[Rein Engel]

I bought the card because user reports, user reviews, store descriptions and website descriptions all said the card can record 4:3 and 16:9, but 720x480 isn't 4:3, it's 3:2.

I have also discovered through random cycling that the card can also record at 720x288. Neither are the advertised 4:3 or 16:9 ratios.

[gadgetguy]

You are confusing Resolution with Aspect Ratio. Digital video uses non-square pixels. The resolution is the same for both 4:3 and 16:9. I can't help you with the card settings as I don't have one of those, but the Aspect Ratio is separate from the resolution.
BTW 720x480 is one of four allowable resolutions for DVD (for NTSC) and is the highest. So it's a good resolution to be "stuck" with.

[Mizkreant]

I have a card based on the 650's predecessor (the Theater 550 Pro) and it's the same way. It only captures at 720x480. I think it's designed that way because of the hardware MPEG2 encoding. Capture cards that strictly use software can capture at any resolution.