How to create widescreen dvd?

[cwon221]

I have a Sony HC40 and I used the 16:9 feature when I shot a video on tape for testing. I used Nero 6.3 to capture the video to an avi file and used Roxio Power Edition to edit it ... Then I used Nero again (using the 16:9 option) to create a DVD .. I played the avi file on my PC and it showed the 16:9 aspect ratio .. but when I played it on my 4:3 tv using my dvd player, the picture has black margin around the 4 sides. I don't know what I did wrong.
Can something please give me some advice how to shoot my video in 16:9 and burn a dvd to play 16:9 on TV (with only black margin on top and bottom of the 4:3 tv screen - widescreen)?

Any help would be much appreciated ..
Thanks

[qdnguyen94]

Have you tried to play your result DVD on your computer? Is it in 16:9 format or 4:3 format?

If you still have all the files (i.e. VOB files, ifo files) on your computer, you can use the program ifoedit to verify if the created DVD is actual 16:9 format or 4:3 format. If the program ifoedit showed the DVD is 4:3 format, you can use the program ifoedit to overwrite the DVD to be 16:9 format (i.e. 16:9 letterbox).

I don't have Nero software so I can not test if the Nero software can create 16:9 DVD disc. I normally use the program Ifoedit and freeware burning tool software. By using different values with the program Ifoedit given my mpeg source to be 16:9, I can create 16:9 letterbox DVD which displayed perfectly on widescreen TV and displayed letterbox (i.e., correct aspect ratio) on 4:3 TV.

Before burning to DVD, you should use the software DVD player on your computer to verify if it is 16:9 letterbox. And use the program ifoedit to change the DVD format (i.e., there are 3 different options you can test).

Good luck.

[cwon221]

Thanks qdnguyen94. I'll give it a try next week.

[SLK001]

How does your Sony generate the 16:9? Is it true 16:9 (854x480), or letterboxed as you state (or 720x405)?

[JimJohnD]

There is a link to the manual at http://im2.onecall.com/Image_Products/Sony/DCRHC40_man.pdf

Page 68 has the details of how it works. It looks like it does record an anamorphic image that is marked as 16:9.

If you hook up the RCA output of the camera to a 4:3 TV it will be full screen, but everything is tall and squished. I have a Sony PDX10 and use ULead (DVD NTSC 16:9) to edit and DVDLab to author. You can also tell if the final mpg is really 16:9 by playing it in something like PowerDVD. While playing the video use a window (not full screen). In full screen the player will letterbox it for you and you can't tell if it is the player or the video. When it is playing in a window there should not be black bars at the top and bottom.

BTW: Is Nero "Capturing/Transfering" to a DV format file or is it "ReEncoding" it to another avi format? I've tried a few DV transfer programs. WinDV is nice but the PDX10 dosn't transfer the audio correctly with it so I have found that Scenealizer works great.

I have tried processing some of my footage with tmpgenc and had the same problem, borders all the way around, and it turned out to be how I was telling it to handle the aspect ratio.

[cwon221]

OK .. thanks everybody .. I've finally done it .. but can't explain it .. below are my findings:
1. Used Nero 6.3 to capture the tape to a avi file
2. Used Roxio Videowave 5 Power Edition to edit the avi file and
created a mpg2 file
3. Used TMPGEnc Plus to create (encode ? .. not sure of terminology)
a m2v file with 16:9 aspect ratio
4. Used TMPGEnc DVD to create (Author?) a video file (VOBs)
5. Finally used Nero 6.3 to burn DVD


Seems like a lot of trouble .. but that's the only way that I can get it done .. any easier way ? Please advise

Thanks
Cheuk