Video Doesn't Fill Screen, Black Bars on All Four Sides

[lomaidala]

How do I edit a DVD so that the sides of the video touch the sides of the screen?
Right now my video is playing back with black bars on all four sides, not just the top and bottom.

I already know the basics with DVDFab, DVD Shrink, PgcDemux, MuxMan, PgcEdit, etc.
I just can't get the video to fit the screen right.

[hello_hello]

I think you'll have to re-encode it to crop the black bars.

It sounds like a 4:3 DVD. Normally that'd have black bars down the sides on a 16:9 screen, but when the 4:3 DVD also has black bars top and bottom (because the actual picture is wider than 4:3), you end up with black bars all round.

Does it need to remain in DVD format? You could re-encode with Handbrake and crop the black bars in the process. Output would be MP4 or MKV.

[jagabo]

Assuming a widscreeen picture letterboxed in a 4:3 DAR NTSC DVD, crop a total of 120 lines off the top and bottom (eg, 60 and 60). Resize the remaining 720x360 frame to 720x480, then reencode as 16:9 DVD.

[cornemuse]

Assuming a widscreeen picture letterboxed in a 4:3 DAR NTSC DVD, crop a total of 120 lines off the top and bottom (eg, 60 and 60). Resize the remaining 720x360 frame to 720x480, then reencode as 16:9 DVD.

Do this with handbrake?? I have quite a few like this, Which would be the best (simplest) software to end up with 'dvd folders'?

-corne-

[smrpix]

Do this with handbrake?? I have quite a few like this, Which would be the best (simplest) software to end up with 'dvd folders'?

In that case I would use AVStoDVD, go into the avisynth tab, and add a line like this to the script ahead of all the other video = video lines.

Video = Video.crop(60,0,-60,0)

[Keyser]

DVD Rebuilder can also do it. Check the menu option Options - AVS Options - Advanced (Expert) Options - Convert from LB 4:3 to 16:9.

[jagabo]

Video = Video.crop(60,0,-60,0)

Shouldn't that be (0,60,0,-60)?

[lomaidala]

Unfortunately, it does need to be in the DVD format.

I should mention that I'm looking for a way to do this without processing the video. Is there a way to properly display the video without doing that?

[r0lZ]

With PgcEdit, you can set the flag "Source picture letterboxed". When that flag is set, the DVD player is supposed to be informed that the source picture is in 4:3, but that it has horizontal black bars that can be cropped to restore the 16:9 image (with less resolution than a real 16:9 title).

Unfortunately, very few players honour that flag, and even if they do it, the information must be passed to the TV, that must resize the video to fill the entire screen. The player must be connected to the TV with a SCART (aka Peritel) RGB cable for this to work (or, I don't know, it can perhaps work also with an HDMI connector). And the TV must "understand" and process the information. If one step doesn't work as expected, you will still see the original 4:3 video with the black bars, and you will have to configure manually the TV to zoom in the 16:9 part of the picture with the remote.

Anyway, since it is very easy to turn the Source picture letterboxed on before copying the DVD, and there is no quality loss, I suggest to set it anyway each time you encounter that kind of cheap 16:9 video embedded in a 4:3 frame. With some (much!) luck, that may work.

To change the flag, right-click on the PGC of the movie in PgcEdit, and select Domain Stream Attributes. Leave the aspect ratio to 4:3 and tick Source picture letterboxed.

If you really want to view the movie directly in 16:9 on all TVs, you'll have to re-encode the video, as explained above.

[lomaidala]

Thanks! Since I want to avoid re-encoding, that's better than nothing.

[Skiller]

In my opinion you should prefer to use the TVs zoom function (16:9 zoom) which would enlarge the whole picture so that the video's left and right sides touch TV's frame and cutting off the bars at the top and bottom. This could be impossible however if the player does upscale the video, because with many TVs this zoom mode becomes unavailable then.

And of course set the "Source picture letterboxed" flag as explained by r0lZ, which, when it all works out, puts the TV in the same 16:9 zoom mode but automatically, although I can confirm it only ever worked for me with few players (Panasonic, Grundig, not with Sony and Cyberhome), but it does not have to be an RGB-Scart connection for this to work because the information is delivered to the TV via WSS signaling and therefore any analog SD connection is capable of it as long as the player bothers to read the flag (HDMI I don't know but I guess it does not support such thing, it would have to be considered by the player during upscaling I think, but I never investigated that).


Re-encoding has the big issue of introducing yet another lossy compression adding artefacts on top of the ones already there from the original encode.

[r0lZ]

Thanks for the info. I've read elsewhere that only RGB SCART supports the "source picture already letterboxed" signal, but I have been unable to verify it myself. I've learned something. Thanks again!

[lomaidala]

What should be the official description of the video for a DVD like this one? In other words, would should it say on the back of the case?

The film's aspect ratio is 2.35:1.
The video resolution is 720x480.
The intended display is 4:3.

So would it be something like this?

Letterboxed Widescreen (2.35:1 Aspect Ratio)

[manono]

'Letterboxed Widescreen' is often used to mean widescreen video encoded as 4:3. A better clue might be that they don't tell you it's '16:9' or 'Enhanced For Widescreen Televisions' or some such. They don't really want to admit their DVD is crap. It may or may not tell you the aspect ratio (the 2.35:1 you mentioned). And there are plenty of review sites that will tell you. For example, for the original 4:3 DVD of Titanic, Digitally Obsessed says:

Image Transfer Review: The DVD is THX mastered and the transfer is 2.35:1 in aspect. As I said before it is not enhanced for 16X9 television, but the picture is remarkable.

http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?ID=24

Yeah, just use the zoom. You may find the picture so blurry you prefer to watch it with the bars on all sides. It's kind of like watching a non-Hi-Def television channel, zoomed or with bars all around.

[lomaidala]

Officially, all the DVD says about the video on the back is this:
4:3 Letterbox format (Aspect Ratio 2.35:1)

Would you say they are being at all vague? If so, what would be the correct way to describe it?

[johns0]

Just use the zoom button on your tv watch without borders.

[manono]

Officially, all the DVD says about the video on the back is this:
4:3 Letterbox format (Aspect Ratio 2.35:1)

Would you say they are being at all vague?

That's completely accurate and more informative than most I've seen. The only possible problem might come from people not understanding what is written. The DAR is 4:3 and the AR is 2.35:1. All you need to know about it. What you see more often is what you mentioned before, Letterboxed Widescreen (or even just Widescreen) which doesn't really tell you much at all. If you've seen enough of that nonsense, you know it's code for widescreen 4:3. But a 16:9 DVD with a 2.35:1 movie is also Letterboxed Widescreen.

[lomaidala]

That explains a lot, I think I actually get it now. Thank you!