DVD Screen Sizes

[perfectchaos]

I've noticed this weird problem everytime I burn a Video DVD, the screen size seems to be very "off". A small part of the bottom and right sides of the screen were blocked off, so I was unable to see the button I had placed below in that area. I think it must be the wrong NTSC size. I mainly use 720x480. I think I might have once done a 704x480, but I think I had the same problem. My question is, what is the proper NTSC size to render a video dvd disc at on a regular TV screen?

[NoodleMaps]

If you are going for a 4x3 aspect. Then 720x480 is the proper resolution. sometimes I've seen 720x486, but mainly for graphics only. I could be wrong on this answer, so someone either back me up and shut me down. But for all work I do 720x480 is the right size.

[canadateck]

perfectchaos

Are you talking about a button on a DVD Menu? Because there is "action safe" and "title safe" areas That you must stay within.

[canadateck]

DVD Resolutions.
720x480, 704x480, 352x480 and 352x240.

[perfectchaos]

I know about the action-safe areas, but even the video itself is cut-off on the bottom and right sides. It's almost like the screen was slightly zoomed and panned a little by default. I'm using Vegas DVD Architect 2 on this, and I haven't used those other NTSC settings yet because I didn't want to waste any more of my DVD-Rs. I've tried it on other TVs and it was the same, and when I play it on the computer screen it fits perfectly.

[canadateck]

What are your output settings?

[perfectchaos]

720x480 is my project's ouput setting, if that's what you mean. But under the tabs "options-preferences-editing" it says "Action safe area %" set as 10 and "Title safe area %" set as 20. Do you think that might be part of the reason? Maybe if I set them to 0%, the dimensions of the screen might look normal then?

[Nilfennasion]

It depends on what you are viewing the DVD on. If you are using a conventional CRT, such as a DirectView television, or even some RPTVs or Front Projection sets, then your problem is overscan. Overscan essentially means the projector in your TV is making the image too big for the viewable area (hence "overscan"). Most CRT-based sets have between 5-10 percent overscan. The overscan can also be biased towards certain parts of the screen (in your case, it appears it is cutting off more of the bottom and right).

You will not notice this problem on a computer monitor, by the way.

The best way to do a menu that you are going to watch on a conventional CRT is to keep the buttons as close to the exact centre of the screen as is possible.