Dv aspect ratio

[Rafael Amador]

[Jared Hawco] “Im editing SD Dvx footage that has a pixel aspect ratio of 720×480, which is 3:2”
That’s means a 4×3 aspect picture, because your picture is made of NTSC pixels.

“3:2” is nothing related with “4×3” .
“3:2” is how is the denomination of NTSC 720×480 ( 3/2 = 720/480).
NTSC 720×486 is not “3:2”.
4×3 is about the canvas/picture rectangle proportions.
You can build a 4×3 picture using different kind of pixels: NTSC, PAL, Squared.
Just need to adjust the number of pixels (High x Wide).
rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

[Andrew Rendell]

Erm, DV footage in Standard Def NTSC is 720 x 480 pixels and the pixel aspect ratio should be NTSC-CCIR601 (and not checked as anamorphic). That’s because (for complicated historical technical reasons) SD video uses non-square pixels. As long as those settings are right on both source clips and sequence the computer will display the pictures properly, i.e., 4:3.

[Jared Hawco]

Thanks for the clarification. Those are the settings that I have selected for my sequence and the FCP canvas displays the whole clip properly. When I export to DVD will the image appear the same as it does on my canvas?

[Andrew Rendell]

Yes it should do. My preferred way to do a DVD is to export a quicktime from FCP in it’s Current Settings and then make the file(s) to burn onto a DVD with Compressor, which has presets for doing that.

[Jared Hawco]

Great thanks for the tips. Are there any benefits to using your DVD method compared to exporting directly from FCP with compressor?

[Andrew Rendell]

The main benefits are that Compressor has lots of presets so you don’t have to get hung up on loads of technical details (unless you want to, in which case you can get at everything) and that I find it more efficient to have it processing in the background while I get on with something else.