How to output MiniDV as letterbox.

[vidsync]

I have a miniDV tape that was shot in 16:9 and need to output it as letterbox into a consumer DVD-R recorder/burner. My two current options: 1) squeezed picture, with tall skinny people/objects or 2) zoomed in picture, slightly cutting off the left and right sides.

What's a way to get it to output as letterbox (with the black bars on the top and bottom)? I have tried to do this using various miniDV cameras and miniDV decks but cannot get the letterbox option. If I need a special/different consumer DVD recorder/burner which one would you recommend?

Help would be much appreciated, thanks.

[edDV]

What output format?

This is usually done with the MPeg2 encoder. If encoded with 4:3 flag the player will output letterbox. If encoded with wide flag, the player will output letterbox in 4:3 mode or wide in 16:9 mode.