Aspect ratio incompatability

Finished my first 720p 30frame video using the hvx200. Looks great. Used compressor to make files for the dvd (mpeg2 files @ 6.2mbps with an ac3 audio file). Imported into DVDSP and made the dvd. When playing it on my wide screen tv at home I noticed that the aspect ratio was different than my wide screen tv in that there were black bars above and below the picture. When I put the tv in "zoom mode" the picture filled the screen.
Is that normal or did I miss something somewhere when producing the dvd.
Thanks,
Jim

I haven't had personal experience with 720p, but reason tells me this: 720p video shot on the HVX200 is an HD format and HD, by it's very nature is 'widescreen' or 16:9 aspect ratio. Thus the 'letterbox' effect you see is completely normal. Just not quite sure why you're not seeing the same at work? Do you work in overscan, on a monitor? or a TV set?

Marcus T
iCreate! digital|post
12 Core Mac Pro, Snow Leopard, FCP 7.0.3, 8Gb Memory.

I don't understand it either. My "monitor" at work is a regular Consumer widescreen Tv as is my home tv. I just checked and the monitor at work is set to "full" which is the same setting at home. At home I see the letterbox and here I don't. I was reading an article that said the dvd player itself has a setting for 4:3 or 16:9 and maybe that it is not set for 16:9 on the home dvd player. I will check when I get home.
When I made the file in compressor I used the standard def setting so I could burn to a regular DVD instead of a Bluray DVD. Could that have something to do with it?

It sounds like it might be the setting in the DVD player menu. Make sure it's set to 16:9. I just had a similar problem with on of my plasma's & DVD players.

Yes, that could make a difference.. What you need to do is convert from HD to SD first. What I did was to 'build' an HD master, then import it back into FCP, placing it on an SD timeline, in my case 720X576 (you can use ProRes for this.) Now, while you're on the SD timeline, you can decide whether to keep the clip anamorphic or not. By default, it should be anamorphic as you put it on the timeline. To make it 'letterbox' and 'normal' picture (4X3), change the Z value (I think - it's the lowest item on the Distort menu, under MOTION) of the DISTORT menu to -25. You have now introduced black 'bars' top and bottom of the picture. When you now export a clip from this, you land up with a 4X3 letterboxed master...I hope all that makes sense.

Marcus T
iCreate! digital|post
12 Core Mac Pro, Snow Leopard, FCP 7.0.3, 8Gb Memory.

What is your Track set to inside DVDSP? Sounds like your track is set to 4x3. Change it to 16x9 letterbox. The means the track will play 16x9 or 4x3 letterbox depending on your player setting. Once you ran your 720p thru Compressor, the resulting mpeg2 is SD. No need to make a separate SD QT from FCP as Marcus2 described. It would be an extra step.

-CHL

Chi-Ho Lee
Film & Television Editor
Apple Certified Final Cut Pro Instructor