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Widescreen vs full screen
Hello,
I have made several DVDs using Vegas Movie Studio to edit video that I used a Sony Digital 8 camcorder to video my kids’ basketball games, edit the clips and set the whole thing to music. It was a big learning curve for me but I finally was getting it. Then my camcorder’s firewire connection burned out (I think) cause I couldn’t get the camcorder to communicate with my computer anymore so I researched a little and bought a Sony hard drive camcorder (NON HD) to discover more learning regarding editing since my vegas program does not recognize it as another hard drive. So I have been using the Picture Motion Browser software that came with the camcorder to select and cut my clips and name them and then importing it to Vegas. I went with the NON HD type of camcorder due to price and concern regarding software issues and MORE RELEARNING!I am pretty sure all of my videos were set in the old camcorder and through my progects as FULL SCREEN. I decided to change my new CAMCORDER setting to WIDE SCREEN and then to try using WIDE SCREEN in my progect settings as well. I haven’t actually STARTED my progect but have video clips already taken in WIDE SCREEN with many more games to video still.
THIS IS MY QUESTION-
What are the best settings to use for my CAMCORDER, VEGAS PROGECT & TELEVISION if I want the video to fill up my whole TV? I thought especially for the types of progects that I do (basketball games) that WIDE SCREEN would offer a better view of the court/players? I guess I am not sure why people like to watch in WIDE SCREEN if it doesn’t fill up the whole TV? Maybe I have my TV settings wrong because I thought the whole reason to have a widescreen TV is to get the “MOVIE FEEL” and yet even when I watch WIDE SCREEN DVDs that I rent, there is a black bar above and below and I feel like I am LOSING view of the movie rather than gaining it through WIDE SCREEN.I am nervous to go any further in video taping games and starting my progect until I understand the settings better. Is there a way to alter the video footage if you started in WIDE SCREEN and wanted it to change it to FULL SCREEN? I ask this question mainly because I am not sure what the progect will look like if I use some video taken in WIDESCREEN and other clips in FULL SCREEN. will it transition funny?
What is the difference between the WIDESCREEN PAL vs WIDESCREEN NTSC (not sure on this name)?
Lastly, how will these setting affect my PHOTOS that I put into my progects. The only other progects I make besides basketball games are photo slide shows to music and my recent quick progect that I used ONLY PHOTOS I set the veags propeties to WIDE SCREEN and it doesn’t fill up my whole TV. Is it better to use FULL SCREEN OR WIDE SCREEN for PHOTOS ONLY slide shows?
I know this was wordy but I obviously am MISSING a piece to the understanding of this technology and once I really get it, It will be a HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT for me a mother of 5 kids who also has a job outside the home NOT IN COMPUTERS, OBVIOUSLY!
FYI- currently using VEGAS MOVIE STUDIO PLATINUM VERSION 9.
With My Regards!
Audra -
4 Replies
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> Maybe I have my TV settings wrong because I thought the whole reason to have a widescreen TV is to get the “MOVIE FEEL” and yet even when I watch WIDE SCREEN DVDs that I rent, there is a black bar above and below and I feel like I am LOSING view of the movie rather than gaining it through WIDE SCREEN.
Hi Audra, Lot’s of good information here and I think you hint the problem with that statement. It sounds to me like you never set your DVD player up correctly. Somewhere in the settings of your DVD player you need to tell it that you have a Widescreen TV. It sounds like it thinks you only have a standard 4:3 TV which is why everything, including Holyywood DVD’s, are not displaying correctly. The settings might be labeled 4:3 and 16:9. If so you want 16:9 (why they don’t just use the term “widescreen” I’ll never know… like the average Joe is suppose to know what 16:9 means).
Change the settings on your DVD player and your problems will be solved and you will see why we all love widescreen. 😉
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com -
So I set the DVD SETTINGS NOT THE TV SETTINGS? That makes sense! If I change that to WIDESCREEN, what happens when I watch a NON WIDESCREEN DVD? So it sounds like you think WIDESCREEN is the best for all of my settings progects etc.? When I set Vegas to WIDESCREEN initially do I still need to specify when I render and then when it goes to Architect? and lastly, do I use the WIDESCREEN PAL OR WIDESCREEN NTSC (or whatever that other abbreviation says)
Thanks for your help! I probably understand 90% of BASIC video editing and it’s so much better when I get the last 10%! 🙂
With My Regards!
Audra -
First, if you do not know that you are in PAL country then you are probably in NTSC land. I think PAL is generally most of Europe.
Secondly, as far as your commercial movies, there are different wide screen formats. I believe all wide screen TVs are built to the 16:9 ratio. But many wide screen movies are not done in 16:9. This could result in black bars (of varying sizes) above and below your picture even if you have your TV and DVD player set up right.
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> So I set the DVD SETTINGS NOT THE TV SETTINGS? That makes sense!
Yes, you want to tell the DVD player that it’s OK to send widescreen output because the TV is widescreen.
> If I change that to WIDESCREEN, what happens when I watch a NON WIDESCREEN DVD?
The DVD player will adjust the output for you and send a 4:3 center with black bars on the left and right sides. Once it knows that the TV is widescreen, it can now send both 4:3 and 16:9 media in the correct format.
> So it sounds like you think WIDESCREEN is the best for all of my settings progects etc.?
It is the best only when you are shooting widescreen with your camera which, I believe, you said you were doing.
> When I set Vegas to WIDESCREEN initially do I still need to specify when I render and then when it goes to Architect?
Yes. This is very important. You must tell it twice, once in the project properties and once when rendering. This is because you might want to render 4:3 with letterboxing. It doesn’t know if you want widescreen output or not so you must tell it.
> and lastly, do I use the WIDESCREEN PAL OR WIDESCREEN NTSC (or whatever that other abbreviation says)
If you are in the North America or Japan, you want NTSC. South America is a mix of NTSC and PAL I think. If you are the rest of the world, (e.g., Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, etc.) you probably want PAL. (except France, Russia, and some parts of Africa which are SECAM)
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasst.com
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