16:9 Authoring from Non-anamorphic Laserdisc Widescreen

[dursman]

hi guys,
I have a Hauppauge DVR hooked up to my PC and need to dub a couple of old laserdiscs.

The LD's are widescreen 1.85 format, and what I'd like to know is how I can reformat the Hauppauge files I make into 16:9 (I assume there's nothing in the Hauppauge itself to help this process).

Is there a good, easy program I can use to accomplish this and, if so, what settings would I need to make.

Cheers.

[netmask56]

What exactly do you want to do?

Example
Do you want to put the 1.85 image within a 16:9 frame?
Normally a 1.85 image within a 16:9 frame would have small black bars top and bottom. Easy to live with.

http://freespace.virgin.net/robert.bradfilms/safe.jpg

What aspect ratio does the Hauppauge DVR capture normally 4:3 or 16:9 or user selectable?

[dursman]

I'd like to preserve the laserdisc's 1.85 image but have it formatted for 16:9 playback afterwards.

The Hauppauge, when capturing from a non-HD source, I believe only captures in 4:3. So I don't want to crop the image, I just want it formatted for 16:9 after I capture it.

[jman98]

You can't find anything because LD video output is ONLY 4:3, even in "widescreen". It's a widescreen image put into a 4:3 window. That's how videotapes worked and how some incorrectly encoded or early DVDs did it.

If you are willing to re-encode your captures, it is possible to use AviSynth to convert the LD to a true widescreen output. However, my experience is that LD widescreen is almost never the true ratio of the film in theaters. Anyway, one of the long time members here (I think it was jagabo) posted some time ago on what to do. Basically after you open the video in AviSynth you do this:

crop(0,60,0,-60)
spline36resize(720,480)

[jman98]

Forgot to mention that you will need to set your video encoder to produce 16:9 output after the crop and resize.

[manono]

So I don't want to crop the image, I just want it formatted for 16:9 after I capture it.

You may not be cropping the actual video but you'll have to crop a lot of the black.

In AviSynth-speak, for NTSC:

Crop(0,60,0,-60)
LanczosResize(Width,480)

Crop 60 from both top and bottom (or some other combo totaling 120) and resize the height back to 480.

For PAL it's 72 and 72 before resizing the height back to 576.

This assumes you've IVTC'd it or otherwise made it progressive before doing the resize. If it's a DVD you have, then DVD-Rebuilder can do it for you. Not sure about other programs. However, unless you really know what you're doing you'll get about the same result by just using the zoom on your remote control.

16:9 Authoring from Non-anamorphic Laserdisc Widescreen]

This isn't authoring. It's filtering (crop/resize) followed by encoding as 16:9. The authoring comes after all that's done. And unless your audio is already DVD-compliant, it'll need work as well.

[clashradio]

[QUOTE=jman98;2367856]You can't find anything because LD video output is ONLY 4:3, even in "widescreen". It's a widescreen image put into a 4:3 window. That's how videotapes worked and how some incorrectly encoded or early DVDs did it.

Yes, I was wondering about early dvd's that say widescreen on the box, yet I go to rip it in FAB, and FAB says it's 4x3. So this must be what "letterbox" is; a widescreen image in a 4x3 window. I bought the Star Wars original trilogy (pre-1997) LD's and they are all letterboxed as well.

[manono]

So this must be what "letterbox" is; a widescreen image in a 4x3 window.

Although it's often used that way, letterbox just means black bars above and below. So, for example, plenty of 16:9 DVDs have letterboxing because the active video, at 2.39:1, is wider than 1.7778:1 (wider than 16:9):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letterboxing_%28filming%29

[Cornucopia]

LDs will be Interlaced, so you should include IVTC or deint (and poss. later reint) in your script. Is this going to DVD? HDD/portable?...

Scott

[clashradio]

Whenever I capture from a laserdisc, I run it from the LD player via S-video, into my Pyro A/V Link capture box, output via Firewire into my Firewire pci board, into Sony Vegas. Vegas treats this IEEE device as if it's a miniDV camcorder (which is Lower Field First I believe).