Can't get it to letterbox...

I shot footage with a Canon XH A1 in HDV mode, (1440x1080). Capture to Pro Res 442. Did my edits in that sequence. Made another sequence set to "DV-NTSC Anamorphic", copy and pasted the HD footage from the timeline to the DV-NTSC timeline. Exported to QT using current settings. It shows in the QT Inspector, Current Size 873 x 480 Pixels (Actual). Bring QT file into Compressor? Okay here's the problem. I'm trying to make a DVD and have the footage letterbox, 16:9. I want to see all of the footage and have those black bars top and bottom. I've tried different settings and all I get is a file that is 720 x 404 Pixels (Actual). Why are the black bars missing? I'm sure I'm missing a step somewhere.

This is confusing as heck. Don't beat yourself up over missing a detail, 'cause there are many.

Your DVD should be anamorphic. That is to say, the media that goes in should be 720x480 with a widescreen pixel aspect ratio. This is what Compressor will give you if you feed it widescreen material and choose one of the DVD presets, so you're probably okay up to this point.

If you just drop your MPEG-2 file into DVD Studio Pro and let it burn you a DVD, it will give you a DVD with all the correct options. On a 16x9 television, it will give the viewer an anamorphic picture and let the TV stretch it out. On a 4x3 television, the DVD player will either play it anamorphic, play it letterboxed or center-cut it to 4x3 depending on how the player is configured.

If you want, you can force the DVD to play back letterboxed on 4x3 sets regardless of the viewer's preference by setting the track to "16x9 letterbox" in DVD Studio Pro. This is normally how I do it, because I'm a control freak.

But bear in mind, the contents of the disc are still anamorphic. So if the player is set to feed out an anamorphic picture, then that's what it's going to do; it won't feed out a flat letterboxed picture instead.

That's what you want, right? Anamorphic when supported, letterboxed the rest of the time?

Hey Jeff, Yeaaah, if Anamorphic is the same as 16:9. (this is confusing as heck). So what I think you are saying is to take what came out of Compressor and bring it into DVD Studio Pro because I will have better control options?

Er. I guess. It's not really a question of "better" options, because there's only one option, and DVD Studio Pro is the one place where you set it. That option is, "When this DVD is played back flat (the opposite of anamorphic), should it be forced to letterbox, forced to center-cut, or not forced to either and played back according to the viewer's preference?"

If you want it to be forced to letterbox, then use the "16x9 letterbox" track option in DVD Studio Pro.

Okay it worked. I got it to letterbox with the black bars top and bottom in my old 4:3 TV. Thanks for your help, Jeff

I have this issue as well. Where exactly in DVDSP do you select the 16x9 letterbox track option? I always need specifics! Thank you so much! Jen

I did a short tutorial on it a while ago. It's the bottom image in the tutorial. The inspector pane is in the bottom right corner of DVDSP.

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