Why am I getting slight black bar on my YouTube video?

[Captain Satellite]

It's REAL slight but can somebody tell me why my video doesn't fill the whole screen like the example? I'm rendering as 640x360 in TMPGEnc and still getting a thin black line at the top and bottom. I know it's miniscule but I wouldn't mind getting rid of it in future videos.

Example...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KStfLZ9sqC8


Mine...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gxxaa0nVUWU

[manono]

My guess is that it's coming out of your encoder that way and YouTube has nothing to do with it. Either that or you're not uploading a 640x360 video. Have you examined the source video carefully? When I upload 640x360 videos, no black bars are added by YouTube. In what format are you creating the videos - AVI, MP4, MPEG, what?

That's real nice music and good quality video, too.

[Captain Satellite]

I'm shooting widescreen DV and I use Adobe Premiere Elements to give me the .mpg file which I then run through TMPGEnc 4.0 Express for the .mp4 file. I know YouTube has nothing to do with it, I'm just trying to figure out why it's occurring and what I can do about it.

Thanks for the comment on quality and music. Now I all I need is Jim Morrison.

[manono]

I didn't quite understand the reply. Did you say it's already coming out of TMPGEnc with the black bars? If so, I'd look first at the encoder settings. I'm assuming the source MPEG doesn't have the black bars. Did you check?

This is easily done (or fixed, if there are black bars being added somewhere) by frameserving with an AviSynth script file. I don't (and won't) use TMPGEnc, so perhaps someone else can help there. Nor do I (and wouldn't ever) just drop an MPG into the encoder.

And lemme get this straight. You start with DV AVI. You then encode to MPG. You then reencode to MP4. If I were you, I'd teach myself to go straight from DV AVI to MP4, thus cutting out the time consuming and quality degrading intermediate step. There are several good and free programs that can do the job.

[Illusionist]

I converted a movie, that filled my entire widescreen monitor, once I uploaded to youtube, black bars was created.

If you click fullscreen on the first video link you posted, black bars are added.

Your video is fantastic !

[manono]

I converted a movie, that filled my entire widescreen monitor, once I uploaded to youtube, black bars was created.

Computor monitor? Most computor monitors are 16:10 and not 16:9. That might explain the black bars being added. Either that or you uploaded an MPEG of some sort which YouTube treats as having square pixels. Captain Satellite's already has the black bars before being uploaded to YouTube, probably different from your case where they are probably added at playback time. If that video is still there (give us a link), it can almost certainly be fixed without reencoding or reuploading.

[Captain Satellite]

I didn't quite understand the reply. Did you say it's already coming out of TMPGEnc with the black bars? If so, I'd look first at the encoder settings. I'm assuming the source MPEG doesn't have the black bars. Did you check?

This is easily done (or fixed, if there are black bars being added somewhere) by frameserving with an AviSynth script file. I don't (and won't) use TMPGEnc, so perhaps someone else can help there. Nor do I (and wouldn't ever) just drop an MPG into the encoder.

And lemme get this straight. You start with DV AVI. You then encode to MPG. You then reencode to MP4. If I were you, I'd teach myself to go straight from DV AVI to MP4, thus cutting out the time consuming and quality degrading intermediate step. There are several good and free programs that can do the job.

I don't have the black bars on the .mpg. I'm really happy with the quality but it does add an extra step for YouTube. I don't see how I can use Adobe Premiere Elements and go straight to mp4. I need to use Pre for additional processing after shooting.

The .mp4s are just for YouTube, that's it. I don't mind if I'm losing a bit of quality there and to be honest, I think they look really good. For my personal archive/collection, I'm just going from DV AVI to .mpg. Those are important to me.

It looks like I'm stuck with what I have. I was just curious if i could get rid of it. It sounds like it may be possible with a lot of additional fiddling. Thanks for taking the time to help, I appreciate it.

[manono]

No black bars on the MPEG. Black bars on the MP4. Therefore the black bars are being added during the TMPGEnc encoding stage. If you detail your settings, perhaps accompanied by pictures, then someone that uses and knows TMPGEnc can help, I'm sure.

I don't see how I can use Adobe Premiere Elements and go straight to mp4.

Well, it depends on what you use it for. If only for deinterlacing, then any one of a number of programs can do that for you, at the same time the DV AVI is being converted to MP4. XviD4PSP, for example, can do that. Anyway, I don't guess that skipping the Premiere step for the sake of quality and speed is all that important, especially when the greatest quality degrader is YouTube's own reencode of the video.

It looks like I'm stuck with what I have.

I don't think so. But it'll take someone familiar with TMPGEnc to figure out why and where the black bars are being added. It could be something as simple as ITU resizing being or not being used. If there's a box somewhere for that and it's checked, uncheck it. Or vice-versa.

[jagabo]

In TMPGEnc try setting the source aspect ratio to "16:9 Display".

[Captain Satellite]

jagabo, I hadn't even read your post when I just discovered that was my problem. I had been changing the size to 640x360 but leaving the aspect ratio at 1:1.

I just don't know anything about this stuff and can't comprehend it. It's amazing I'm able to produce what I have so far.

Thanks for the help, guys...

[jagabo]

As an explanation: in a 720x480 MPEG file the 16:9 image is held in the center 704x480 part of the frame. The extra 8 pixels at each side are padding -- although they may contain image data. That means the full 720x480 frame is slightly wider than 16:9. So when you asked for a 16:9 output it had to add a little black border to compensate. Setting the source aspect ratio to "16:9 Display" tells the program to assume the entire 720x480 frame contains the 16:9 image so there's no need to add a border.

[Captain Satellite]

Now THAT I can understand! Thanks, jagabo!

[C-U-ONTV]

I am also getting a small skinny bar at top and bottom of YouTube clips. I am encoding uncompressed AVI to H.264 using Adobe Media Encoder CS4 (AME). I have tried a range of frame sizes from 720x576 with PAR 16:9. 704x392 then even downsizing to 640x360 then upscaling to 1280x720 just to see if it made any difference. Not matter what frame size I set I continue to get these small black bars. I have been using SUPER prior to changing over to Adobe and SUPER was producing full frame video just fine. I suspect the problem is in Adobe Media Encoder and wonder if anyone else has encountered this problem with the encoded output on AME or if you may have a solution. An exapmle of the problem is posted here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8h5yNlMIgA&eurl=http://www.youtube.com/user/RobBredl&f...er_profilepage

[minidv2dvd]

for pal 16/9 from 720x576 you might try 1024x576 square pixel 1:1. but, what is your source type and size?

[Captain Satellite]

I resolved my issue but only after I stopped using TMPGEnc 4.0 Express. Even after setting the aspect ratio to 16:9, I was still getting a thin black bar after uploading.

Last week minidv2dvd helped me improve my quality quite significantly. I continued to work since the first clip of "The Real Me" I posted because I realized it came out in mono for some reason. Now it's stereo, fills the screen and I got the HD link. I am using xvid4psp for my encoding. I kept getting various errors with mediacoder.

I really appreciate the time you took to help me out!

Here's the clip after mini2dvd assisted me in working through my issues...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z85PRwrZViQ

As always, thanks to everyone who takes time out to assist me.

Wow...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoM_eabeGm4

[minidv2dvd]

I really appreciate the time you took to help me out! smile.gif

Here's the clip after mini2dvd assisted me in working through my issues...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z85PRwrZViQ

As always, thanks to everyone who takes time out to assist me.

nicely done! and you're quite welcome.

[jagabo]

I resolved my issue but only after I stopped using TMPGEnc 4.0 Express. Even after setting the aspect ratio to 16:9, I was still getting a thin black bar after uploading.

Go to the source properties and change and change the source aspect ratio to "16:9 Display" instead of "16:9 525 line NTSC".

[Captain Satellite]

I did that, jagabo.

[C-U-ONTV]

Hi Guys thanks for taking time to help me out. In over 20 years of Broadcast Television, I have only posted on forums a few times and generally haven't had a response, so I must say i am very pleased that you guys are keen to offer advice.

mini2dvd I tried using the 1024x576 square pixel 1:1 but the result is exactly the same, the small bars still exist. I decided to go - back to basics and recapture a small sample of footage into CS4 and encode directly from the Premiere Timeline which then dynamically links to Media Encoder.

The result is still the same small black bars on YouTube. I tried encoding H.264 and FLV at whole bunch of resolutions and the bars still exist. I then thought I would crop the video output source in Media Encoder, still the black bars. I then encoded the exact same footage in SUPER with the same encoder settings and PRESTO the black bars are gone.

I'm not using SUPER because it causes a click in the AUdio at every 1min and 9secs and thats a whole other problem I am trying to solve.

Anyway guys it seems that Media Encoder by default somehow adds a few pixel lines of Black top and bottom on the output. I not going to bother with it for YouTube encoding anymore, I'll just use it for MPEG2 for DVD.

Any suggestions on another good free open source H.264 encoder greatly appreciated. minidv2dvd and Captain Satellite Thanks for your help.

[dedek74]

Hello,
I have exactly the same problem as described by C-U-ONTV.
I think the basic of the problem is in misinterpreting of the source data by Media Encoder. I have my short 16:9 video in DV AVI format of 720x576 and par 1.422, which should result in 1024*576 (16:9) with square pixel (par 1.0).
What is strange - when I upload this to Adobe Media Encoder and want to encode to H.264 format - I see on "source" tab (on the left side of custom settings of export) my source video with format 1050*576!! That is not 16:9! Media Encoder thinks that the source video is 1050*576 (ie. 16.4:9), so for resizing to 16:9 some black bars on top and bottom must be added.
I have no idea why Media Encoder interprets my source video in 1050*576 and not 1024*576. When I work in Premiere Elements, everything (like preview, working panel and so) is interpreted correctly (ie. 16:9), until I want to export my work in H.264.
Any idea?

[jagabo]

Once again, this is because in a 720x576 frame the 16:9 image is contained in the inner 704x576 pixels. So the full 720x576 frame is slightly wider than 16:9. Same for 4:3.

[manono]

What I don't understand is why any of them thinks this has anything at all to do with YouTube when they're all - every one of them (except maybe Illusionist who never came back) - uploading videos to YouTube that already have the black bars. This has everything to do with the encoders and the users' lack of understanding of proper resizing and nothing at all to do with YouTube.

Except for Captain Satellite, jagabo, your explanation(s) seems to have gone in one ear and out the other, so to speak.

[C-U-ONTV]

manono i, understand the issue is caused in the encoding process and not added by YouTube, I think your comment may be a bit harsh. Afterall we are posting to get help here.

jagabo are you suggesting to crop the output from Media Encoder to 704x576? I did try this and was still presented with the thin black bars.

[dedek74]

Absolutly, I understand this is not problem of YouTube, but I didn't found other thread solving this problem. Now I also understand jagabo's explanation. For me - Adobe Media Encoder has a bug, because I cannot define that source is 16:9 (which should result output in 16:9 as well). I think the only way to do this job with Media Encoder is to crop source to 16:9. But doing this part of the picture is lost.
My idea is to encode source to some super quality format with square pixels first and than use Media Encoder for converting to .F4V. Would you suggest some tool and format for pre-encoding? Thank you.

[manono]

Why does this Media Encoder have to be used? I expect it has a way to do a different resize, but since I don't use it, I wouldn't have any idea what it is. Can you choose ITU resizing or non-ITU resizing anywhere? At the moment it seems to be forcing ITU resizing (as it should), but maybe there's a way to turn it off. If you're doing some editing in Premiere or whatever, save it as a lossless AVI (Lagarith, HuffYUV, whatever), and then open the resulting AVI in VDub(Mod), resize to 640x360 or some other 1.78:1 resolution and encode to XviD. YouTube likes XviD AVIs just as much as it likes MP4 videos. I've uploaded close to 600 XviD videos there. Or, if it has to be MP4 for some reason, open the source video AVI in XviD4PSP or Handbrake or some such and, again, define whatever resolution you like and encode away.

There are many ways to solve this, but beating your head against a wall by trying to force Media Encoder to do it doesn't seem to me to be one of them. If this Media Encoder accepts AviSynth scripts, give it a script with the resize already done.

manono i, understand the issue is caused in the encoding process and not added by YouTube, I think your comment may be a bit harsh.

I'm not so sure. You've posted in a thread entitled, "Why am I getting slight black bar on my YouTube video?". If you had opened a new thread naming it something like, "Need Help With Media Encoder Resizing", then someone that's familiar with that encoder might have seen it and responded. You've posted under a thread title almost totally unrelated to your problem, and because of the title you're not liable to attract the people that can actually help.

[C-U-ONTV]

manono, I was lead to this topic via google search which happened to be "Why am I getting slight black bar on my YouTube video?" Prior to joining this discussion I was totally unaware whether the black bars were being added at the encoding stage of by YouTube itself. So, with the wonderful advice of people such as yourself and jagabo I have now solved the problem with encoding Adobe Media Encoder for YouTube.

As a quick explanation why I am using Adobe Media Encoder. The product comes packaged with Adobe Premiere Pro. Adobe Media Encoder dynamically links from the Premiere Pro edit timeline and directly encodes the video to whatever output codec is required (DVD, FLV, H.264 etc)

dedek74 if you want to take manono's advice and create a topic "Need Help With Adobe Media Encoder Resizing", I would be happy to let you know the settings used in Adobe Media Encoder for YouTube encoding without the black bars. As manono has suggested other AME users may also contribute. dedek74 let me know if you do set up the topic?

This is a fantastic forum and clearly the best on the www for video advice. Thanks to all who contributed to assist me.

[dedek74]

Ok, I found a new topic about this problem here https://forum.videohelp.com/topic371902.html#1996529. Thanks to all of you for ideas and advices.

[jagabo]

I have now solved the problem with encoding Adobe Media Encoder for YouTube.

I would like to see the solution posted here -- or at least a link to a new thread.