Why does Video Studio 6 SE change the aspect ratio?

[CSULB71]

I successfully transferred some Hi-8 camcorder footage via a Sony Digi-cam/firewire to my hard drive using WinDV, as Type 2 AVI, with no dropped frames and no audio sync problems. The file was 720x480 pixels resolution, and the AVI played/looked perfect on Media Player Classic. I used VirtualDub for some exposure corrections and to crop off the bottom “tape head noise” and appropriate amounts to the top and sides to maintain the 1.5:1 aspect ratio, and resized it back to 720x480 and saved it as AVI with Panasonic DV compression. Again, it played/looked perfect on Media Player Classic. BUT… when I converted it to MPEG-2 (for ultimately making a DVD) using Ulead Video Studio 6 SE (that came with my ADS Pyro DV card), the resulting video was stretched vertically into 4:3 TV aspect ratio, even tho the video properties showed it is still 720x480! There was no place I could see in VS 6 that even gave me a choice to change it to 4:3 (which I don’t want). I tested a short clip made into DVD files and burned with Nero, but the picture on my 27” TV is still stretched vertically (at least the audio is in sync ). Any ideas what is going on??

[Baldrick]

DV is 4:3 (it could also be 16:9 but not 1.5:1). The 720x480 will be resized to a 4:3 frame size when you play it. DVD is also 4:3 and 720x480 will be stretched to 4:3. You must have done something wrong when cutting with virtualdub, it should look a bit stretched after you cutttttttted.

[CSULB71]

Thanks for the response, Baldrick. Because the video was 720x480 (1.5:1 ratio) to begin with, which is DVD standard, I assumed I should keep it at that frame size when I cropped/resized. But if converting to NTSC MPEG-2 makes the picture stretch vertically to a 4:3 ratio (also DVD standard), how do I get the picture to look "normal" on the TV? Do I have to crop it in VDub to look vertically squashed as an AVI so that the MPEG-2/DVD conversion will magically restore the correct visual proportions? I remember reading here some time ago that frame size and aspect ratio aren't the same thing, but I'm still confused as to what I did wrong.

[Tommyknocker]

You may also want to try to select the little tools icon on the lower left part of your program video screen. Go to Project preferences, and change them to 720 x 480 and what ever form at you want.

[CSULB71]

Under that tool icon, there were several choices for screen size, including 720x480 that was already checked (by default to match the source video, I presume), and the aspect ratio choices (4:3 or 16:9) were grayed out. So it looks like no "fix" there. I'm back at square one... still don't understand why VS6 SE takes a DVD-compliant 720x480 AVI file, converts it to MPEG-2 at 4:3 ratio, and the picture comes out vertically stretched! Help, what am I missing here?

[Tommyknocker]

Select a new project and use your own settings.

[CSULB71]

Thanks Tommyknocker, I guess trying another project or two might be the best thing at this point. What settings should I be using, if not VS6 SE's default ones for a DVD?

[Tommyknocker]

Thanks Tommyknocker, I guess trying another project or two might be the best thing at this point. What settings should I be using, if not VS6 SE's default ones for a DVD?

Before doing that, as soon as you load your video in whatever settings it is, go to Preferences and ensure the keep aspect ratio is selected:

[CSULB71]

I think the "keep aspect ratio" was selected before, but thanks for the tip. I'll keep playing around with it, and hope I still have some hair left.