2.35:1 letterboxed to 16x9

[j1d10t]

I'm trying to convert a 2.35:1 letterboxed movie to 16x9. Can someone help me out with the math? I'm capturing at 720x480, and then I want to crop off part of the black bars, to make the video 16x9, so I it will look right on my 16x9 TV. I understand that it will have little black bars on the top and bottom, but not as big as they are now. Would I be correct to assume that I can crop 45 pixels off the top and bottom, and that would make it 16x9 (1.85:1), then just resize the whole image to 720x480? I'd like to get some advice before I start messing around with the aspect ratio. Thanks for the help

[Dick White]

Well, you can't change 2.35:1 to 1.85:1 without throwing away some of the picture on the sides. (That's what HBO and others do to a lot of movies on their HD channels, which is why I'll never subscribe to them). But converting from LBX to 16:9 seems to be possible. Check out this post for some insight on what's involved.

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=171027

Don't remember if he discussed the math, but that should be pretty simple compared to the rest of the process he used.

[j1d10t]

Thanks for the link, but it sounds like he is going from a 16x9 letterboxed to an anomorphic 16x9. What I need to know, is how much of the black bars need to be trimmed off the letterboxed 2.35:1 to make the correct aspect ratio for a 16x9 TV. This would be a lot easier if TMPGEnc offered 2.35:1 as an option for aspect ratio, instead of 2.11:1

[GreyDeath]

I think it's cropping 60 lines from the top and bottom of a 4:3 ltx movie to the correct ratio for a 16:9 anamorphic. Try it and see how it looks.

[j1d10t]

I think I found the solution in the Star Wars Conversion thread - since Star Wars is 2.35:1. Someone (I believe it was DJRumpy) sayed to crop off all the black boarders, resize the image to 720x360, then add 60 pixels on top and bottom (letterboxing the 2.35:1 into 1.85:1) to keep the aspect ratio when played on a 16x9 TV. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks

[FulciLives]

I think I found the solution in the Star Wars Conversion thread - since Star Wars is 2.35:1. Someone (I believe it was DJRumpy) sayed to crop off all the black boarders, resize the image to 720x360, then add 60 pixels on top and bottom (letterboxing the 2.35:1 into 1.85:1) to keep the aspect ratio when played on a 16x9 TV. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks

That should work but here is another method that also works and gives greater control (if you ask me).

Bring the image into TMPGEnc using an Avisynth script that cuts 60 pixels off the top and bottom. Use FULL SCREEN for VIDEO ARRANGE METHOD.

Then go to the CLIP FRAME option and use a MASK to cover up any remaining black on the top and bottom of the picture. This ensures you have nice SOLID black since the original black may not be 100% black.

As long as the original source is at least 1.78:1 this method will work with any aspect ratio (1.85:, 2.35:1 or the odd movie here or there that might be somewhere between 1.85:1 to 2.35:1 or the REALLY odd movie that might be even wider like 2.45:1 ... yes there are a few of 'em).

- John "FulciLives" Coleman