16:9 on 4:3 - Why the long face?

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The-Video-Compa...
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Joined: Mar 3 2004

I recently produced a widescreen wedding for a client using My XL1s, anamorphic adapter & Premier Pro.

The end result is pretty impressive when viewed on widescreen, but elongated when viewed in 4:3 as apposed to the letterbox effect.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to do this, as the clients parents only have a standard tv.

Same As It Ever Was! :(

tom hardwick
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Joined: Apr 8 1999

Oooh (sharp intake of breath). Shows why shooting in 4:3 is still the best option in this (everlasting, it would seem) change-over period. A 4:3 image looks great on any TV, and if the owner of a 16:9 set wants to squash, stretch, compress, expand or distort it, he's quite at liberty to do so.

Doesn't help you though, does it? Premiere (with a lot of remdering) will fabricate a masked letterbox image that will play out 16:9 on an old 4:3 TV, but it means going back to the timeline just for this one copy. Better thy pop down to Curries for a £299 28" 16:9 TV.

tom.

The-Video-Compa...
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Joined: Mar 3 2004

Hi Tom,

I still have the full avi file on an external hard disc. I take it I'll be able to build the letter box version from this.

Cheers,

TVC

Same As It Ever Was! :(

The-Video-Compa...
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Joined: Mar 3 2004

Just in case anyone else has the same requirements try:

http://www.mykaskin.freeserve.co.uk/myksvideopages/plugins.html

Isn't the internet a wonderful thing.

Same As It Ever Was! :(

tom hardwick
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Joined: Apr 8 1999

It sure is. Fascinating site. Let us know how you get on with the conversion. ok?

The-Video-Compa...
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Joined: Mar 3 2004

Will do Tom.

I'll give it a blast sometime next week, as I having a client moaning about getting their video completed. They must think they're my only client, and I can live off bread & butter all year.

Same As It Ever Was! :(

The-Video-Compa...
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Joined: Mar 3 2004

This is atually quite a useful way to convert 16:9 to 4:3, and very simple to use.

At the very least it adds another string to your bow.

Same As It Ever Was! :(

infocus
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Joined: Jul 18 2003
Quote:
Originally posted by tom hardwick:
Oooh (sharp intake of breath). Shows why shooting in 4:3 is still the best option in this (everlasting, it would seem) change-over period.

Here I must beg to differ - especially for such as wedding videos, which are likely to be looked at years into the future!

What's relevant (and not originally specified) is what medium the owners of the 4:3 TV want the video on, which realisticaly means DVD or VHS. If DVD, no problem - their player/TV should sort it out in exactly the same way as it does for any other widescreen film they own, letterboxing or centre cropping depending how it may be set up. In other words, just supply a widescreen DVD - I see no point in making a 4:3 DVD specially, when the player will sort it out.

I suspect that a 4:3 VHS has been asked for though. If your master is a 16:9 DVD, to save a re-render I'd suggest the easiest way to produce the VHS is to just record the output of the DVD player to tape, the player set up to use with a 4:3 TV. In this case the player can be set to produce either a letterbox or centre cut version, as preferred.

Interesting link, and especially as it (unlike my suggestion) gives the 14:9 option. Alternatively, if they are popping down to Curries anyway, no need for a new TV, the clients could just get a DVD player..... ;)