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Convert stretched 4:3 material Captured at 1080i back to 4:3???
I’ve run into a potential issue I hope someone here can help with. I need to capture the computer’s output of a software program very similar to a high end, high rez game to high def via either a Decklink or AJA card (on another box). I can output either via VGA or component to HD-SDI or analog component with the proper conversions. The problem is I think the application (still waiting on an answer) may not display properly at 1280×720 (or any other widescreen rez). Therefore, I may have to run it at a 4:3 rez like 1280 x 1024 or higher, then crop in Vegas the top/bottom. The question becomes, will the the Blackmagic or AJA line of caputure cards, or any other method, allow me to capture for example, 1600 x 1200 or 1280 x 1024 output via component or HD-SDI while preserving the 4:3 aspect on the HD capture to disk so that I can import to Vegas and crop? If not, how else could I do this? Please don’t tell me I have to get a widescreen mod custom written for the original app. That would cost more than the entire project budget! What if I output the stretched 4:3 signal at 1080i, composing for the crop, then somewhow squeeze back to 4:3 elimination distortion, then crop to 16:9 and render to 720p to preserve detail? Can Vegas help me sort out this conundrum?
Thanks in advance.
Frank
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4 Replies
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I’d test Camtasia from techsmith.com (full trial version available) before I went through these headaches. It is a very capable screen capture program. Installing it will also expose their tscc codec to Vegas, or, the codec is available as a separate download (playback only?)
A lot will depend on how much screen updating is happening with the app and processor speed. Camtasia typically doesn’t do well when the whole screen is updating at 30fps. But it’s great for most software demos.
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Thanks for the advice, but I have tried every screen capture program known to man and none of them come close when running an app such as mine. I’ve never exceeded 2fps using those and that is with serious horsepower. I might try them with a new P D940 at 3.2 dual core on a 975 mobo and a 7800GT but would rather capture via component/HDSDI.
It would seem if I capture a stretched 4:3 stream at 1080i that I could squeeze it back to 4:3 in Vegas using the aspect ratio property settings, could I not? Once I have the squeezed 4:3 image, I would just crop my 16:9 desired area and render to 720p. Isn’t this possible?
Thanks
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I’ve not been through your exact workflow, but yes. There are many ways to do this in Vegas, some of which interact with each other.
Track Motion
Media Pan/Crop
Media Properties | Pixel Aspect Ratio
Project Properties | Pixel Aspect RatioNote that there are really no quality differences in any of the above scaling methods – whatever seems to work the most straightforward is fine. I’d try track motion first.
You’ll find your solution with minimal testing, and also test “reduce interlace flicker” and “video render quality | best” when rendering as when rescaling these switches sometimes produce better results. Find a representative 5 seconds of video and benchmark with it, you’ll quickly figure out what the best settings are for your application. And don’t forget to save those settings for easy re-use.
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Thanks!
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