compressing 2k using compressor's dvd settings

I recently finished a short film that was shot with the Red and I've been editing with the 2K files and I want to compress it for DVD. I tried to use Compressor's setting of best quality 90 min, mpeg 2, dolby digi, etc. It finished successfully and when I opened it I noticed that the aspect ratio was incorrect- in fact it's something odd like 720 x 404 so it's a bit stretched. My original frame size is 2048 x 1024. I tried changing the settings in compressor because I noticed that it registers the correct dimensions and then as soon as I select the mpeg 2 settings it says 720x480, 16:9 or letterbox and I can't seem/or don't know how to change it. What would be the best way to compress my movie for regular DVD format? I don't mind that it's being compressed significantly or that it's basically 720x480 letterbox but I don't like the 720x404 image... how can I prevent this so I don't have to re-compress by changing movie properties in Quicktime?

Thanks so much
Sarah

Well, you wouldn't possibly be able to fit a 2048x1024 image onto a video DVD. Video DVDs are 720x480, period. If you make an anamorphic 16:9 DVD, then your widescreen image will be squeezed into 720x480, then stretched back out upon playback. If you make a letterboxed DVD, then you'd have to fit your image within a 720x480 box, with black bars top and bottom.

I'm not quite sure what the question is.


www.derekmok.com

I googled around a bit and found this:

[www.trimforward.com]

That page gives explicit, step-by-step instructions. The deal is that you're giving Compressor 2:1 material, and it's squeezing it slightly to fit it into a 16:9 raster. You need to alter the Compressor preset to add padding to the top and bottom of the image, so your 2:1 aspect ratio is preserved during encoding to widescreen SD.

Note that if you give Compressor either 16x9 or 4x3 material, at any resolution, the DVD presets will do the right thing. It's only when you have another aspect ratio that you have to adjust things.

Anyway, that Web page tells you in detail what you need to do.

Hi Derek and Jeff. Thanks so much for the responses! I believe the problem is that it's big and it seems that Jeff's comment is exactly my issue, so I'm going to give the link a shot. I might- or probably- will be back with more questions. I have always great success with DVD studio pro and HD formats but I'm learning through trial and error with this whole Red business. It is a bit out of my league but the image is really worth it. Thanks again. I love this forum.

-Sarah

It's not that your show is big, it's that it's oddly shaped. Standard definition has a display aspect ratio of 4:3; widescreen SD and high definition are both 16:9. Your stuff is 2:1. In order to show 2:1 correctly in a 16:9 raster without cropping it, you have to put a hard matte on it. That's what the link explains: what numbers to plug in, and where to plug them, so Compressor correctly compensates for the non-standard aspect ratio.

The same is true of Cinemascope features, obviously. Those have an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and have to be hard-matted to fit in a 16:9 frame (or god forbid, a 4:3 frame, ugh).

Meaningless trivia time: You often hear the Cinemascope aspect ratio described as 2.35:1, and that's technically correct for movies shot in the 60s. But in 1970, SMPTE changed the film specification just slightly to leave more room between frames for making clean edits, and the aspect ratio became 2.39:1. For all intents and purposes, 2.35:1, 2.39:1 and 2.4:1 are all the same basic thing.

Of course, there are exceptions. The film "2001" was shot in the 60s, at a time when the SMPTE spec for anamorphic 35mm dictated a 2.35:1 aspect ratio ? except "2001" wasn't shot on anamorphic 35. It was shot on Super Panavision 70 with spherical lenses, for an aspect ratio of 2.2:1. This was cropped to 2.35 for the 35mm anamorphic theatrical prints. Today you can find DVDs with either the 2.35:1 or the 2.2:1 aspect ratio. I own one of each. Yes, I'm an effing film nerd, leave me alone.

But wait! It gets even more complicated! "Avatar" was shot with HD cameras, in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. This was cropped (skillfully; it's a tuned crop, not a simple center-cut) to 2.35:1 for 2D release prints and some 2K 3D theaters, but other 2K 3D theaters, all IMAX theaters and Academy members who got screeners on DVD got the original full-aperture 1.78:1 aspect ratio. It's unclear which one will be used for the inevitable home video releases; Cameron's said publicly that he prefers 2.35:1 for flat viewing and 1.78:1 for stereoscopic, but the 1.78:1 image is occasionally better framed (in my opinion) and more immersive when viewed on a 1.78:1 HDTV.

Aaaaaaand I'm gonna shut up now. Sorry. I totally geeked out there.

Jeff,
Thanks so much for the link and extra info. I followed the directions from John on trimforward.com and it worked great. It's done and ready for DVDSP! So cool to have been able to resolve this. Aaaah. Also, I love hearing geeky sh*t about aspect ratios and well just about anything camera or editing related. I used to be a camera assistant in NYC and information like that was required. Now I'm on my own and making videos so I'm out of the loop. Thanks again so much!!!
-Sarah