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DVD format 16:9
So I understand that SD dvd’s cant show HD quality…. but when I shoot 16:9 and compress with compressor with the 16:9 format, then burn a DVD in DVDSP it gives me a 16:9 format finished product. Is this better quality or just 4:3 stretched? I am just trying to understand what I am looking at. Would I get better quality if I put bars on and export as 4:3? What is I take this DVD to a 4:3 TV screen vs 16:9 set?
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1 Reply
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In SD, 16:9 is (in the vast majority of formats) anamorphic. This means that you are squashing the picture horizontally, so that your widescreen TV can stretch it back out later for that ‘cinema’ (chuckle) experience. Of course, this means that the widescreen TV is lowering the horizontal resolution, but it’s much less visible than the loss of vertical resolution caused by outputting a 4:3 letterboxed movie, which the TV then has to stretch in BOTH directions to fill the 16:9 frame.
Your choice will depend on how you expect the DVD to be viewed. Note that if you produce a 16:9 DVD, the player can be set to crop the image to fit 4:3 TVs for playback. This means that whether you watch it 16:9 or 4:3 the full vertical resolution is kept, but also means that you need to maintain what is called “4:3 safe”. This means keeping the two sides of the picture that will be cut off by a player in 4:3 mode clear of either graphics or pictures you need to keep in view. All widescreen programmes for broadcast in the UK, where I work, have to be made 4:3 safe, so name graphic/titles etc. are not cut off by older TVs, and means you should avoid shots where important action takes place on either side of the screen – for example, if you have a shot where two people are talking, you should ensure that they are not both on either edge of the frame, but within the centre 2/3rds (or there abouts) of the frame.
Now – if that isn’t too much info, I don’t know what is….
Ben
PS – Short answer – keep it 16:9, but keep it safe…
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