4:3 to 16:9

[POCK AA]

I would like to know if there is a way to convert a 4:3 clip into 16:9 aspect ratio without the result looking stretched. Is there a program , free or otherwise, that allows you to do this? Thanks in advance. P.S. the video clips are in various formats, eg. mpeg, xvid, Divx, etc.

[Baldrick]

Most "advanced" video editors supports it like Virtualdub. Crop and add black borders. Or do you mean 16:9 anamorphic? then just crop and set it to 16:9.

[MOVIEGEEK]

TMPGEnc ,select 16:9 output and encode.

[edDV]

I would like to know if there is a way to convert a 4:3 clip into 16:9 aspect ratio without the result looking stretched. Is there a program , free or otherwise, that allows you to do this? Thanks in advance. P.S. the video clips are in various formats, eg. mpeg, xvid, Divx, etc.

So you are asking for this?

[POCK AA]

I gave TMPGENC a try ( I already had it installed ) and it seems to work fine. If my source file is 352x240, would I notice an improvement in clarity if I use 704x480? I know this is a basic question but I am still new to video editing. I just wondered if my source file was compressed and increasing the output would make the end result clearer. I must add that the source files in 352x240 are quite clear, nonetheless. Thanks

[MOVIEGEEK]

Increasing the resolution is a bad idea,it may produce artifacts.

[guns1inger]

If you have 4:3 footage, especially low resolution 4:3 footage, you are better off encoding it as 4:3, and letting your hardware do the work. If your DVD player and TV are set up correctly you will not get any distortion. If they are not set up correctly, you must be American

[POCK AA]

guns1inger, LOL @ your response, but I will take your advice. BTW, I AM American, yet my hardware is set up correctly, must've been accidental,lol

[guns1inger]

I have seen TVs in the background of US television shows (and I mean major network shows) set up incorrectly stretching 4:3 material to fill a 16:9 screen. Between that, and some of the bizarre requests made here to try to fix problems that only exist when the equipment is wrong, it seems to be a particularly US approach to home entertainment.

Your file has NTSC resolution. if, in fact, it comes from a VCD, all you need to do is up-sample the audio to 48kHz and author as-is.