Importing DVD footage doesn't fill screen

[jgarnold]

Today I created a DVD from a show on TV (Australia PAL system).
When I imported the dvd into my video editor (VideoStudio) I noticed that the picture does not completely fill the preview window. It seems to fill that part of the preview window which is bounded by what is termed the "title safe area" (ie the area which you should ensure any inserted title text is inserted so that it fits into the image on a TV). I guess the reason is that the video was captured from a TV broadcast and TV shows do NOT fill the normal video window.
Is that correct?
Should I be attempting to either capture the video full screen or somehow stretch it to fit and if so how is that done.
Thanks

[guns1inger]

It could also be the way videostudio chooses to display the video. Open the video in g-spot 2.60beta and check the resolution. There may well be some border (broadcast is usually 704 x 576), but it should not be that great.

[jgarnold]

Wow that was a fast reply guns1inger - thanks.
I just loaded the VOB file with GSpot and it reports Pic (w x h) and SeqExt (w x h) as 720 X 576 which is standard.
However when I view the imported video it has bands of black around the picture. I have not seen this before and can only assume that because not all the picture is seen on a TV screen (that is why VideoStudio displays an area which is TV screen 'safe' for titles added) then when video is recorded by a DVD recorder then only that part of the picture which is seen is recorded.
I hope I am assuming correctly.

[guns1inger]

If you open the video in VLC, do you still see the borders ?

That the image fits snuggly inside the title safe area makes me think it is something the videostudio is doing. The title safe area is comparatively small, and the borders would have been noticeable on all televisions.

[jgarnold]

VLC displays the video exactly the same as VideoStudio does - with small black bands top, bottom, left and right sides. It is like you would see say a 700 X 560 image (approx) displayed on a screen which is 720 X 576.
Please note that this ONLY occurs with the DVD video I recorded on my standalone DVD recorder connected to my TV. I have never seen video not fill the viewable area.

I have attached a 1 second clip (wanted to keep the file size small) from the video. Remember it is mpeg 720 X 576, 25fps at 16:9


short%20mpeg.mpg

[guns1inger]

At a guess, you recorded this from a digital settop box. It looks like a 4:3 program, broadcast on Australian digital (16:9), but recorded in letterbox mode. To get it to fill the screen you need to have the settop box set to fullscreen or 4:3 or whatever it calls it. I know my PVR can display this to fill the screen, but if I have the box set to 16:9 it would record as very tall, and in letterbox mode, just like you have here.

[jgarnold]

I have an Optus set top box feeding in to NEC DVD recorder and flat panel display.
Can't remember how I set it up and my wife won't let me check at this time as she is engrossed in watching A Perfect Murder - ho hum!
I know that the Panasonic plasma is set to JUST (not 16:9 not 4:3) which ccordng to the manual will expand a 4:3 picture to fill the whole screen although I am sure I have recently seen pictures with bands left and right of picture but maybe the TV broadcaster does this when broadcasting 4:3 pictures.
The set top box manual explains how to SETUP how 16:9 programs display on a 4:3 display but I have a 16:9 display panel. It also excplains how to set how standard 4:4 programs display on a 16:9 panel (pillar box, 14:9 or stretch). When I viewed the program as I was recording it, and when I play the recorded DVD the picture looks fine - not stretched, not squashed, no black bands around the picture. It is only when viw3d on my PC I see the black bands.
When you viewed my short clip did you have the display set to 16:9 using VLC?

[guns1inger]

A lot of DVD Recorders don't seem to record 16:9 correctly, and in fact only record it as letterbox instead.However you have all your equipment set up, what you have recorded is a 4:3 aspect ratio image, with a 1.788 (16:9) letterboxed broadcast of a 1.33 aspect ratio program





The only way you can get it recorded fullscreen is if the Optus cable box can output a full screen image, instead of a letterboxed widescreen image.