Accurate analogue widescreen from square-pixel divx?

tomj · Post by **tomj** » Wed Apr 02, 2003 7:49 pm

Stupid question, but lacking an NTSC-model widescreen TV with proper MPEG-2 output to it, I'm a bit stuck.

I have 640x480 divxes which I've used in an amv, and have cropped to 640x360 to remove subtitles. Now I want to export it in an analogue/Rec 601 compatible fashion - presumably resizing it to 704x480, dropping that into a 720x480 frame and flagging it as 16:9 will do the Right Thing, ie. full-height anamorphic that a widescreen TV will stretch out? Or should I use the full 720? I know PowerDVD doesn't seem to take account of the active analogue width in how it deals with things, but have no idea what to do about this...

Any suggestions?

the Black Monarch · Post by **the Black Monarch** » Wed Apr 02, 2003 8:04 pm

There's no real reason to use 704. 720 all the way.

I don't know how to add borders during the export process, but I'd think that it would be easier than this "flagging" that you talk about...

RadicalEd0 · Post by **RadicalEd0** » Wed Apr 02, 2003 8:15 pm

Ignore what black monarch said. Your method is correct.

tomj · Post by **tomj** » Thu Apr 03, 2003 7:44 am

the Black Monarch wrote:There's no real reason to use 704. 720 all the way.

I don't know how to add borders during the export process, but I'd think that it would be easier than this "flagging" that you talk about...

720 is what SVCDs, AFAICT, are expected to be shrunk from, to 480x480. Besides, I've already got a letterboxed version - I want an anamorphic one now...

NicholasDWolfwood · Post by **NicholasDWolfwood** » Thu Apr 03, 2003 4:08 pm

Just ignore what the idiot *cough*The Black Monarch*/cough* said. Follow what rad said.

tomj · Post by **tomj** » Fri Apr 04, 2003 9:35 pm

NicholasDWolfwood wrote:Just ignore what the idiot *cough*The Black Monarch*/cough* said. Follow what rad said.

That was what I did - it's just PowerDVD is being asinine and treating the image as though the entire picture width counts as active, when it doesn't, and giving me larger black edges than it should. *sigh*

the Black Monarch · Post by **the Black Monarch** » Sat Apr 05, 2003 4:42 am

Wild suggestion: try cropping and see what happens.

tomj · Post by **tomj** » Sat Apr 05, 2003 9:59 am

the Black Monarch wrote:Wild suggestion: try cropping and see what happens.

I did. It looks okay in PowerDVD - but that does not, however, mean that it's actually the right thing to do. See?

the Black Monarch · Post by **the Black Monarch** » Tue Apr 08, 2003 10:05 pm

I typically stop messing with something once it works.

tomj · Post by **tomj** » Wed Apr 09, 2003 3:19 am

the Black Monarch wrote:I typically stop messing with something once it works.

"Works" means "Works everywhere" - and the Hollywood+ is still behaving in an irksome manner, by refusing to letterbox it...