16x9 dvd questions

Im having some issues with getting 16x9 format video to look good on dvd.

I have DV footage shot in anamorphic, and when i output for iDVD, it squeezes it back to 4:3. Its shot, captured, and edited as anamorphic so i know its good but when i export to QT, self contained, current settings or choosing the anamorphic preset, iDVD squeezes it back.

The iDVD project itself is 16x9 and when i drop in a diff HDV clip, it emulates it as 16x9 but not the anamorphic footage. I even exported from compressor as 16x9 to no avail...

Anyway, on a 16x9 LCD tv, it looks ok obviously but on a standard tv or a laptop(the probable viewing platform for the producer) its all squeezed.

So i know i can prob just go to DVDSP for this but its not an app im overly familiar with and this is just a rufcut update we're sending over but i'd still like it look nice. Should i drop it into a standard 4:3 timeline and just render out the letterbox? I'm not sure on the aspect/format/playback issues of anamorphic and dvd players...maybe its time to suck it up and learn DVDSP

Everythng is tall and skinny?

Chances are everything was *always* tall and skinny and all your tools automatically cranked it around to look normal so you could make artistic decisions. The first time you display that work on a player that doesn't know the song book, it turns tall and skinny again.

Export a short segment from your timeline and open it up in QuickTie player. tell QuickTime to display "Original Size" and that's what you really have.

If you want to build a DVD with black bars top and botton, then you have to mess around with converting in Final Cut and hopefully, somebody is going to know how to do that.

Koz

I've been able to export at 16x9 settings through QT conversion and setting the pixels to a 16x9 variant(upresing to 1280x780) which gives me the 16x9 video i want but obviously looks not too good.

I guess im just looking for advice on how DVD's interpret 16x9 footage and how anamorphic footage is best transfer to DVD in the right aspect ratio...

Scott,

I don't work in iDVD, but in DVDSP there is an option you have to select (4:3 Pan and Scan) in order to get your footage to play letterbox on a "regular" TV screen. It's in your preferences in DVDSP, but not sure where it's located in iDVD.

But it's sounds like you've done everything else right to me.

Steven Gladney



Sometimes the obvious is hidden in plain view.

In iDVD, try picking a widescreen theme. If it still looks squeezed, it's made of rubber!

It could be that there's a bug with the theme you picked and how it handles the 16:9 footage.