16:9 issue needs demystifying.

If I shoot Mini DV using the 16:9 setting, which sequence setting must I use to NOT have to render (greenline in FCP 4 HD) when I import the footage.

Bigger issue.

My client loves the cinematic feel of 16:9 letterboxed. He wants me to cut and DELIVER the show on MINI DV at 16:9 aspect ratio. BUT, here's where the demystifying comes in) once I give him the output onto MINI DV the aspect ratio is locked. Correct? Meaning if I output in 16:9 (tall and stretched) to Mini DV he would have to manually squish and rerender before printing to DVD. Am I correct?

SO - What's my sequence setting for 16:9 so I don't have to render?

AND - If he wants NON letterboxed but he wants me to deliver the master show on Mini DV, the master will be tall and thin and nothing will make it correct again without reimporting and manually squishing. Yes?

Thanks guys for your help. This one's tricky I think...

Geno

If you shoot 16x9 DV/NTSC...use the DV/NTSC 16x9 easy setup. Then you will edit in a 16x9 timeline and not have to render.

Now...if your client wants a 16x9 letterboxed output, then simply export your final cut as a Quicktime Movie (self conained.. or ref...doesn't matter)...reimport that, then create a new 4x3 sequence, load the imported 16x9 cut into the viewer, under the Motion tab go to DISTORT and imput a value of -35 and drop the 16x9 cut into the timeline.

This you will have to render, but it will be letterboxed and not stretched.

or you can simply drag the 16/9 sequence into the new 4/3 sequence, rather than using an export.
is there a reason you like to export first, shane?
is it less prone to errors?

also..
i really dont know too much about making DVDs, but isnt there a setting in DVDSP that will adjust for 16/9?

well, for one it is easier to set the distort -35 to one clip insetad of hundreds. Actually, I think that is the only reason I do it.

i see.
when i said "drag the 4/3 sequnce to the 16/9 seuqnce" i meant as a nest,
so it does behave as one clip, and in theory, it should even set it's own distort.

nick

If he has a widescreen TV set, you don't have to do this. You adjust the TV set and the image quality won't suffer a quality hit.

No mystery about it....No tricks.

If you want to view 16:9, you get a widescreen monitor or a pro video monitor that has switchable 16:9. Or else, ya gots ta render prior to delivering on a 3:2 format. No two ways about it.

If you find you are getting the preview green bar as you are viewing anamorphic footage, then maybe your sequence settings are not matching your clip settings.

We are living in the past using 4:3 at all these days. Anyone been to Europe or Japan lately? Widescreen is in the majority from my observation.

Kevin Monahan

I periodically produce a set of DVDs from anamorphic footage for the parents of a youth choir (30-40 copies of the same DVD). I will hazard a guess that I would have virtually every disc returned to me as "defective" if I did not produce a disc that was, indeed, "letterboxed 16:9" (4:3 with the black bars).

Mr. & Mrs. America don't own widescreen TVs unless they're "dinks" (double-income, no kids). Real families bought a Toshiba 32" a few years ago and will be using it until it dies.

If they don't see it correctly on their old TV, then it's only due to a mis-setting in the DVD player that they own, not in your authoring. All Hollywood movies that are widescreen as encoded anamorphically.

Graeme



[www.nattress.com] - Plugins for FCP-X

Graeme,

That's a very good point and one worth exploring (on my part) with a few short clips to see how it all ends up. The critical part is that my DVDs do not require anything (on the part of the user) other than "drop it in and hit play".

Thanks,
Barry

I guess what I'm getting at is that if they've ever played a Hollywood DVD correctly, then their player is set correctly for anamorphic playback. I don't feel that you should be spending extra time rendering when the player itself will letterbox or pan and scan (centre crop) the image for you at the preference of the viewer. I'd be very curious to hear how you do get on if you try your experiment though.

Graeme



[www.nattress.com] - Plugins for FCP-X