"Widescreen" option on Camcorder - Do you lose a #

[jmone]

I have a JVC DV2000 that support recording in a "Widescreen" option. I'm keen on recording, capturing, editing, and burning DVD's using 16:9 over 4:3 IF I don't lose any resolution.

I've been told by JVC support that this models keeps 520 Lines of resolution regardless of if it is in 4:3 or 16:9 mode bit were vague of if these 520 lines actually includes black bands being recorded top and bottom (eg Poor Mans Widescreen). Can anyone confirm if these "Widescreen" modes are really:
* True 16:9 @ 520 Lines (for the image area) OR
* 4:3 @ 520 Lines with a blank strip top and bottom

Is there anyway of me testing how many lines there are in an image apart from the "Mark One Eyeball" (so I could evaluate and compare the resolution of the 4:3 and 16:9 capture options)?

Thanks
Nathan

[tjdmobile]

My Sony has that same 16:9 function. I am pretty sure that what they are telling you is that the resolution will include the "letterbox". It wouldn't concentrate the pixels on the 16:9 function only, simply because there are a finite number of pixels in the CCD (would run out of horizontal resolution)

Sorry, you lose resolution.

TJD

[energy80s]

Does it not record in anamorphic mode? I thought that was the way all camcorders worked when you switched them 16x9. If all it it doing it adding black bars to the top and bottom of a 4x3 picture then don't use it. Just frame your shots with nothing important in the top or bottom of the frame and you will have the option of either aspect ratio when you come to edit them. That's what the BBC are doing at present!

[jmone]

Thanks tjdmobile/energy80s.

I have the same impression that it is not worth using 16x9 (assuming it just adds black bars) as I just lose resolution and can always do this post production if I really want to.

The 16x9 image definatly is simply black bands top and bottom of a standard 4x3 image when I capture in Video Studio 6. However I'm using the standard 720x576 (PAL-DV) template so the software could be adding the extra info but as I don't the the warning about differnt formats I doubt it!

[florida flounder]

I have a sony digital 8 camera model dcr-trv120.It shoots in true 16:9
the black bars appear on the view screen but are not recorded on tape.
when 16:9 mode is selected the cam loses the steady shot feature because widescreen uses the portion of the ccd otherwise used to steady
camera shakes.
some manufactures have a real widescreen some don't.One of my old vhsc cams I think it was a jvc had what was called cinema mode were it
just added the bars.If this is the case with your cam I would not use widesreen it will just cut down on your options in editing.
One possible way to tell is when you play tape directly from camera to tv
16:9 should look streched with no black bars.thats how it looks on my sony anyhow.

[jmone]

Thanks Florida - Tried playing on the TV and the test footage shot in 4:3 and 16:9 were the same width and the 16:9 was black bars top and bottom, so looks like my JVC has poor mans widescreen

[dvidya]

I have the JVC DV2000 and there are 4 settings under Manual > Wide Mode: OFF, CINEMA, SQUEEZE, and PS-WIDE. The SQUEEZE mode is what you are looking for as it anamorphic and not the "poor man's widescreen." It is also probably about the best resolution you're currently going to get for a consumer camera in 16:9. DV expert Adam Wilt has reviewed the "pro" version of this camera the JVC JY-VS200 at
http://www.dvcentral.org/Reviews/jyvs200u.html
which is essentially the same camera in a different case and a color bar generator included.

I have shot in both interlace and progressive scan with this camera and find that the interlace footage looked better in the SQUEEZE mode. I then convert to progressive scan when authoring the video for DVD. I find the footage very comparable to video shot using a Century Optics anamorphic adapter. The downside with the camera is the viewfinder just shows the footage in squeeze mode so an external LCD monitor is necessary to view what you are shooting in 16:9.

[jmone]

Thanks dvidya. This record mode now makes sence, however I'm still capturing/editing/burning DVD's in 4:3 mode (then have to switch the TV to get the aspect ratio correct but titling etc would then be the wrong aspect ratio). I'm using VideoStudio6 and for the life of me I can not work out how to capture in 16:9 (or even what the resolution should be if I need to create my own template).

Thanks for the link - interesting reading!

[dvidya]

You need to encode your MPEG-2 files with the 16:9 flag on. I can do that in Media Studio Pro 6.5 using the Ligos Encoder. You have to select the Advanced button and set it for 16:9. I'm not sure whether your Video Studio has that option available. Beware that the MainConcept patch that Ulead has for MSP takes away the Advanced button and 16:9 ability.

I use DVD Movie Factory to author the video and it will see the 16:9 flag on the MPEG file and set the appropriate bits (yes just a couple of bits) in the IFO file so that it letterboxes on a 4:3 set and displays full screen on a 16:9 set. BTW, on these low end DVD authoring packages you can't mix 16:9 and 4:3 footage.

I also have Premiere 6 (not 6.5 yet) and Video Explosion. The latter sees 16:9 flags on the footage from the DV2000.

[jmone]

Well, got a bit further tonight. Managed to work out (from posts on this board) how to use IFOEDIT to change the aspect ratio to 16:9 (I'm using DVD Movie Factory so I create the files first, edit for 16:9, then burn to DVD). Now I get beatiful 16:9 playback of my anamorphic recoding in PowerDVD BUT in Windows Media Player I get a superimposed 4:3 image over my 16:9 image (wierd!) and when playing on my PS2 I still get 4:3.

Unless anyone has any other ideas I'll try again later!

[dvidya]

The problem may be that the MPEG file is still not 16:9. Some folks use one of the MPEG utilities to change the sequence header to indicate 16:9. Most have had good luck just changing the first sequence header. If you do that you should even have to edit the IFO file from DVD Movie Factory. Howeve some decoders may be a little less forgiving and check more than the first sequence header. Good luck!

[jmone]

I've now changed every possible occurrence in both VIDEO_TS.IFO & VTS_01_0.IFO to 16:9 and Letterbox and still get exactly the same result described above (except the media player problem has gone away!).

Unfortunately I won't get to play with this much more for the next week and abit but any advise always welcome!