DVD Replication/Duplication Questions

[Paul Nordin]

The thing to remember is that you are not really streching the video at all. You are shrinking the HD footage to fit in a non-widescreen frame. So width-wise your square pixels have to be mapped across 720 pixels which when played through a DVD payer, will be stretched to rectangles 1.21w x 1h. Visually the image will still be displayed across the same 16:9 frame as your native HD footage. So it’s not streched at that point. It appears normal.

And this is the only-way it is done…from hobyists to Hollywood. It all has to fit in a container 720×480, with a pixel aspect ration of 1.21

_______________________
EMB Studios
http://www.EMBstudios.com
Emeryville, CA
_______________________

[Tyler Foulkes]

Thank you very much, thats the response I have been waiting for ha ha. I just have two more questions and then I should be set. I am just curious why when I go through the procedure you gave me to convert my HD video to SD video in AE the rendered file is not widescreen. The composition is perfect in AE and Encore but the raw rendered file comes out in a more boxy aspect ration not that I am going to use the raw rendered file for anything I am just curious. Second question is what should I set my photoshop project dimensions to be if I am planning to make my menu in photoshop?

Thanks,
Tyler

[Paul Nordin]

Welcome to the wonderful world of NTSC Pixel Aspect Ratios.

NTSC m2v files are really only designed to be displayed via a DVD player. Software inside the player (whether a software player on your computer, or a DVD box at your TV) recognize via a setting in the video file that the image is designed to be played in widescreen format. So it “de-squeezes” it. There is no other way to put play widescreen SD material on a DVD.

This is all a trick that was developed by the broadcast powers that be to fit widescreen material on DVDs and NOT have to re-architect the hardwired FIXED NTSC SD resolution of 720×480. So they developed a technique to elongate the 720 pixels by ~21% which fits the 720 x480 pixels nicely in a 16×9 display.

So Pixel Aspect Ration. Read up on it and all shall be revealed.

For NTSC WS menus, again they should have a dimension of 720×480 and a pixel aspect ratio of 1.21. Mostly Photoshop will take care of this for you if you start by creating a new image using the NTSC Widescreen preset. Photoshop is smart enough to understand Pixel Aspect Ratios quite well. So using that preset it will elongate the image (desqueeze it), so you can edit on it and round things are round not eclipses.

NONE of this carries forward to HD (thank GOD!)

_______________________
EMB Studios
http://www.EMBstudios.com
Emeryville, CA
_______________________

[Tyler Foulkes]

O.K. everything in my Encore project is looking great besides the fact that my menu has two black pillars above and below it. I set the photoshop project to be at NTSC DV Widescreen with a pixel ration of 1.21 which is exactly what my film is set to as you explained in AE. I then import the .psd file into Encore as a menu and create the buttons etc. but when I preview the project the film fills up the screen completely/perfectly but the menu doesn’t and I said previously it has two black pillars above and below it, is there something Im missing when I set up my photoshop files or is this how the menu works in Encore?

[Ricky Barrow]

People don’t and won’t agree with me, but I do not have problems using PSD menu’s when I simply create them in 1280×720 or 1920×1080 – I do all menu’s this way even though I have yet to do Blu-ray – we have only done SD widescreen and Encore resizes without issues. I’m sure others may say something negative about this but it works for us. It shouldn’t take long to do a quick test to see if it would work for you. 🙂

Ricky

[Ricky Barrow]

Plus, in our case, our video starts as HD so at any time in the future should I decide to do Bluray, my menu is already there. “KISS” works for me most of the time.

Ricky

[Tyler Foulkes]

Huh, I have tried importing .psd files as my menu in both 1280×720 an 1920×1080 format and both look worse than when I import a .psd file in NTSC DV Widescreen format with an aspect ration of 1.21. Is there some sort of menu preset that you are using because when I import my .psd file as 1280 or 1920 format there are black pillars all around it as opposed to when I import a .psd file in NTSC DV Widescreen format 1.21 aspect ration where there are just black pillars on top and bottom, I mean both are not what Im looking for but at least the NTSC DV Widescreen 1.21 aspect ration is a bit closer. Are all menus going to have black pillars no matter what you do or is there some sort of menu preset that you can change according to what format you are bringing your .psd file in as?

Thanks,
Tyler

[Ricky Barrow]

Are you sure there is black all around? To test, make the menu first play and do a preview – just to make sure your menu view “window” isn’t throwing you off. I do nothing special but import my PSD file as menu. Also, maybe I missed this, but make sure 16×9 is selected in the properties window.

Ricky

[Tyler Foulkes]

I spoke before previewing it, I am so sorry. I imported a 1280×720 .psd file previewed it and of coarse it works flawlessly. All my problems are solved thank you very much.

Thanks,
Tyler

[Tyler Foulkes]

Sorry, but I have one more question, do you recommend exporting from FCP in 1280×720 bringing it into AE and fitting to comp settings of NTSC 720×480 1.21 and then rendering it and then encoding it in Adobe media encoder to the correct pixel aspect ration because when it renders from AE its not in the correct pixel aspect ration. Then bring the encoded file into encore, or do you recommend bringing the file straight from the AE comp into Encore? Both have worked for me, but I was wondering if there is a certain reason to do it one or another or if there is a completely different way of doing this all together.

Thanks,
Tyler