Capturing anamorphic with Canopus ADVC1-00

[whoisquilty]

I've got some widescreen HD video that I want to capture using Final Cut Pro 6 and a Canopus ADVC-100. However, it's not coming in 16:9. It's coming in 4:3 and letterboxed.

The source is my DVR.

I'm NOT trying to capture as anything more than standard DVD resolution. But, I'd like to have the picture fill my 16:9 TV.

Any ideas?

[jagabo]

The ADVC-100 captures what you feed it. If the feed is letterboxed that is what you will get. You might be able to get the source to output anamorphically.

[whoisquilty]

The source was recorded in HD and therefore, 16:9. I used the anamorphic settings in Final Cut and connected to the ADVC-100 using a S-video cable and RCA jacks.

Would the connection to the ADVC have anything to do with it?

[thecoalman]

As mentioned you need to adjust the output on the playback device, if for example you are watching a 16:9 DVD on a 4:3 TV the black bars are added by the DVD player. Setting the DVD player to not letterbox it will provide a full frame of video, looks funny on a 4:3 TV but its really irrelevant if you want to capture the full frame. Encode and author as 16:9.

[jagabo]

What travels over the s-video cable is only one thing: interlaced NTSC video in a fixed 4:3 format. Whether that video contains letterboxed frames (the 16:9 source is shrunken proportionally and has black bars added to the top and bottom to fill out the 4:3 frame) or anamorphic frames (the 16:9 video is squashed disproportionately to just fit the 4:3 frame) depends soley on the device putting out that signal.

If you can't convince the device to output anamorphic frames all you can do is take the letterboxed capture, cut 60 lines off the top and bottom (leaving 720x360), and resize what's left back up to 720x480.

[thecoalman]

Another possibility is that it was recorded by the DVR as letterboxed? In other words it's possible that it added the black bars to a 16:9 source to begin with, in that case you have a 16:9 movie on 4:3 matte, similar to what Jagboo suggested you would have to capture it then crop.

In any event if you can't get a full frame capture you're better off authoring it as-is and use the zoom on your DVD player.

[whoisquilty]

jagabo - If I cut off 60 lines at the top and bottom, won't that blur the image?

[jagabo]

jagabo - If I cut off 60 lines at the top and bottom, won't that blur the image?

Cropping and upsizing will blur the image. But that's the only option if you can't get the player to output anamorphically and you want an anamorphic encoding. You will also run into interlaced video issues since you are in an NTSC country. As Thecoalman said, you're probably better off leaving your video letterboxed.

[whoisquilty]

Then, is there affordable equipment for capturing to FCP using an HDMI connection? I've got a Mac Powerbook G4, so the Blackmagic card (http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/intensity/) won't work for me.

[jagabo]

Then, is there affordable equipment for capturing to FCP using an HDMI connection?

Not that I'm aware of. The MPAA goes way out of it's way to make sure you can't capture any encrypted HDMI source (like HD-DVD, Blu Ray, cable box, or satellite receiver).

I'm in the same boat as you. I wish I could capture downconverted HD anamorphically from my cable box via s-video. But I'm stuck with letterboxing since that's all the cable box will put out.

[AntnyMD]

The only way I've been able to get my cable settop box to output NTSC (480i) widescreen is to digitally route the signal into a D-VHS machine via Firewire. The D-VHS machine fortunately doesnt letterbox ATSC (1080i, 720p) widescreen on downconversion to 480i and out via S-Video.