Aspect Ratio Issue (again)

ynotfish

Senior Contributor Location: N.S.W. Australia Joined: May 08, 2009 02:06 Messages: 9977 Online

Solved by

May 21, 2009 17:54

Before anyone feels the need to say it...

Yes - I've searched the forum for the last hour or so & I've read Adrian's articles on HD editing, which I enjoyed (Adrian - if you're not a techie, I'm not even a boot lace).

I've also googled a gaggle of things to try to work out what's happening to my video.

MY APSECT HAS BEEN RATIONED!

OK - here's the context. I set off with my shiny little Canon HF S10 for my FIRST shoot. I didn't expect anything great, it being my first time (a 56 year old virgin! Mr Mod - I trust my jest does not offend thee, sire). Anyway - I'm still working out what all the little gizmos do.

I got back home, loaded it all onto the PC, using the ImageMixer software that came with it - no problem so far - all the little clips I took were there. Cool.

After ditching the jittery ones and the interesting footage of my muddy boots, I imported them into PD7. No problems yet. They imported fine (MPEG4-AVC).

In the library, the properties were...

File:
File path: C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Administrator\My Documents\My Videos\IMx3SEVer5\20090521\20090521\20090521091450.mts
File type: AVCHD
File size: 53.47 MB
Created by: 2009/05/21 09:15 AM

Video:
Type: MPEG-4 AVC
Original duration: 00:01:18:21
Bitrate: 8.53 Mbps
Resolution: 1440x1080
Frame rate: 25.00 fps
Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Audio:
Type: Dolby Digital
Sample rate: 48kHz
Bitrate: 256Kbps
Channel: Stereo

I went through all the editing things, trimming, adding titles, music & transitions. You know the score. In the preview window, all was well.

I wanted to burn a disc to give to my son who likes to point out my lack of technical proclivity. I saved the little project as I went and all was right with the world.

Without producing, I burnt a disc for him - no menu, just the edited video. No problem so far...

Till I played the disc! My aspect had been seriously rationed. At every stage - camera - library - timeline - it was 16:9. On the disc, for whatever reason, it switched to 4:3.

4:3! I couldn't believe it. Everything my son had said was right.

I'm quite prepared for someone to tell be how stupid I've been, as long as you can point me in the right direction. I really would like my aspect rations to be reinstated.

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp please.

Tony

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James W

Senior Contributor Location: Lakeland, FL USA Joined: Aug 18, 2008 10:36 Messages: 911 Offline

May 21, 2009 18:16

Hi Tony, I don't know if this will be of any help, but at least in some cases I had to adjust the TV display settings to get the aspect ratio right.

If I were you I would produce a video file and play it back on your computer to make sure it is still 16:9. If it ends up as 4:3 then you know you have a setting wrong.

Good luck. Q9300 2.5 GHz
4 GB Ram
Nvidia 9800 GT

vn800rider

Senior Contributor Location: Darwen, UK Joined: May 15, 2008 04:32 Messages: 1949 Offline

May 22, 2009 02:08

Hi Tony,

This of any interest to you? Sorry about the formatting - blame the crappy forum edit box.

!6:9= 1.77777
4:3=1.3333
3:2=1.5

.......resolution........ ratio

.............1920x1080=1.78
.............1440x1080=1.33
..............1280x720=1.78
...............640x480=1.33

NTSC DVD HQ 720x 480= 1.5
NTSC DVD SP 352x 480= 0.73
NTSC DVD LP 352x 240= 1.47
NTSC DVD Smartfit 720x 480= 1.5

PAL DVD HQ 720x 576= 1.25
PAL DVD SP 352x 576= 0.61
PAL DVD LP 352x 288= 1.22
PAL DVD Smartfit 720x 576= 1.25

This link makes it even more interesting _
http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/aspectratios.htm

Adjust the telly/DVD it's easier!

"If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger." Frank Lloyd Wright

Cheers
Adrian

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. (see below)
Confucius
AMD Phenom IIX6 1055T, win10, 5 internal drives, 7 usb drives, struggling power supply.

ynotfish

Senior Contributor Location: N.S.W. Australia Joined: May 08, 2009 02:06 Messages: 9977 Online

May 22, 2009 02:30

Thank you Adrian -

Yes - very interesting. I shall commit it to memory before sunset! It is all a bit bewildering for a mere mortal like me, but I do appreciate you taking the time to bring it to my (and everyone else's) attention.

In my googling and reading this morning, I am sure there was some guru stating that 1.333:1 was 16:9 - oops - no he wasn't - I just checked http://www.dvinfo.net/canonxlh1/articles/article06.php. Silly old me!

About the disc I made... before I wrote the first post (up there), I put the disc in the PC & WMP played it in 4:3. Then the same thing happened on a DVD player (one I don't usually use)... same thing. THEN I wrote the post. THEN I played it on my regular DVD player and it was sweet 16:9 again. Same thing on my son's player.

So - I wasted a bucket load of time writing an unnecessary post when I could have been getting flogged at online scrabble.

Thank you, James. You were completely right and the TV/player settings... I am yet to work out why WMP didn't recognise the correct format.

Anyway, gentlemen, I do appreciate your help.

Adrian - love the quote from F.L. Wright. It really has become a little like that.

Cheers -

Tony
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Dafydd B

Senior Contributor Joined: Aug 26, 2006 08:20 Messages: 11973 Offline

May 22, 2009 03:20

Gee, this is so unfair, all this assistance by associated members of the "Antipodean Species Performance Entertainers Collective Titillation Society" for the Grand Newbie Antipodean Tony

The tease is because i know Tony enjoys word games and is a wordsmith.

Dafydd

James W

Senior Contributor Location: Lakeland, FL USA Joined: Aug 18, 2008 10:36 Messages: 911 Offline

May 22, 2009 08:10

Hi Tony, I'm glad my post was of value to you.

Just to be clear, you are absolutely certain that your disk is 16:9 and not 4:3. I'm not sure why WMP did not play the video properly unless a certain setting in WMP is not set properly or the movie is not truly 16:9.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at May 22. 2009 09:44

Q9300 2.5 GHz
4 GB Ram
Nvidia 9800 GT

ynotfish

Senior Contributor Location: N.S.W. Australia Joined: May 08, 2009 02:06 Messages: 9977 Online

May 22, 2009 14:27

Team -

It appears that, from some fairly extensive searching and reading (by extensive, I mean so much I am bored to snores), there are lots of people out there in cyberland who could be members of the Antipodean Species Performance Entertainers Collective Titillation Society Group.

I was staggered at how many people not only have similar issues, but sit around talking about it. Even more astonishing was the fact that I was one of them! I won't bore you with all the bits I found out, except to say that Windows Media Player does not interpret some video formats correctly in 16:9. How silly is that? Yep.

One funny thing I read was in some whirlpool forum. Some moron was blithering on about his extensive experience with video editing and said he was astounded that PowerDirector7 had NO WAY OF CHANGING THE ASPECT RATIO(n). It seems every forum has the same types of "contributors" (loosely used).

James - just to be clear: YES I AM

Oh Dafydd - You're such a tease, but I like it.

Adrian - this one reminds me of you & you can take that as a compliment...
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.
Albert Einstein

Cheers Team - & thanks again,

Tony
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Cranston

Senior Contributor Location: USA Joined: Aug 17, 2007 02:26 Messages: 1667 Offline

May 22, 2009 15:41

Tony,

Just curious. Does the file play and display in 16:9 in the VLC Media Player (as available at SMWOV)?

"Who? No, you must have the wrong number"
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