DVD Authoring Question: 16:9 Source

[morgandawn.livejournal.com]

Some DVD authoring programs (IDVD, Ulead) cannot handle both 4:3 and 16:9 (widescreen source).

On some m2v files, the 16:9 screen images are squished vertically to fit the 4:3 format. In the past I was able to manually import the m2v file into my editing software, adjust the widescreen (make the image smaller) so it fit back down into a 4:3 frame and render, then re-export. This takes too much time to do for each vid.

is there a setting we can shoot for (Final Cut or Adobe Premiere or TMPEGEnc) that will export 16:9 images so the widescreen source is pre-adjusted to fit into the 4:3 TV screen?

Comments

[barkley.livejournal.com]

If I'm doing this for a whole vid, I've just edited it all in squishyvision, then exported the sequence, reimported it as a single clip, and applied the Distort at the end of the process.

I don't know if your G5 (pause for drooling) makes export times negligble, or if you're using export/import metaphorically *g* but if you didn't want to, there's no need. You can just go do this:
file->new->sequence
That will create sequence2 in the browser. Double click on it to get it to pop up as a tab in the timeline and then just drag the sequence1 icon from the browser to sequence2 timeline and then apply the Distort. It's the same thing essentially, but it cuts down on export times.

And out of idle curiosity, do you know if there's any difference between distort and "aspect ratio"? I've just been setting the aspect ratio under the motion tab to -33 in order to get letterboxing.

[morgandawn.livejournal.com]

I found an eve3n simpler way to correct the distortion (or aspect ratio - I can never tell the two apart) of a vid that has been submitted as a m2v file:

1. Import into QT Pro
2. Export it out again as a m2v file - select the export options and click on 16:9.

It should be fixed. I still need to do a test burn.

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

And out of idle curiosity, do you know if there's any difference between distort and "aspect ratio"?

There really isn't a difference - I think I used aspect ratio the first time I did it - but I like the mathematical exactictude of using pixel measurements (distort) vs. percentages (aspect ratio) because I'm a freak and 33.3333 etc. bugs me. *g* But since it rounds anyway, no, there's absolutely no difference AFAIK.

Thanks for the tip about creating a new sequence. I've never done that! Funky. I must admit, the G5 has spoiled me.