DVD picture skewed in my DVD player

Bansaw wrote on 2/3/2007, 3:18 AM

I've just burned my DVD movie, and it plays OK on my computer.
Everything looks in the right place.

However, when I go to play it in a DVD player, the picture is off-centre (to the left).
I am in the UK using PAL.

Is there a way of rendering it to make 100% sure that it display properly in my DVD player?

Also the DVD will be played by some people in the US... any comments?
Tks,



Sony DVD Architect 3.0

Comments

ScottW wrote on 2/3/2007, 8:05 AM
Make sure you used the correct template (A DVDA PAL template) to render your video and double check your DVDA project properties to make sure that were also set for PAL.

As far as the US is concerned, you'll want to create an NTSC DVD specifically for this market. While many European DVD players will accept NTSC DVDs and convert,, many US players will not play PAL DVD's.

--Scott
GeorgeW wrote on 2/3/2007, 9:13 AM
In addition to ScottW's comments, DVDA allows you to just change the project properties from PAL to NTSC, and then render to the NTSC version. The Standards conversion from PAL to NTSC for the video might not be "perfect", but it might be good enough depending on your accepted "quality" level, and it's pretty easy because the program should automatically adjust the menus/chapters appropriately (try it to see if it works for your project).

Also, when you say "skewed" -- how much is the picture skewed? Could it just be the OVERSCAN effect you are seeing? Basically, on your computer you will see the picture from edge-to-edge, but when played on your TV, you cannot see all the way to the edges. For example, if you look at setting up a menu in DVDA, you see an imposed dotted rectangle on the screen -- that's the "safe" area that you want to keep your titles/buttons in because outside that rectangle might not show on your TV.

You can adjust the "safe areas" in Options/Preferences/Editing Tab
MPM wrote on 2/3/2007, 12:13 PM
Generally speaking a DVD player will obey the mpg2 -- the DVD settings are mainly for menus, BOV and such -- i.e. a 4:3 vid in a 16:9 DVDA project will still play 4:3.

If the video is off, the display will be off, so I'd take a good look at your original video, & how you created your mpg2. If you want to verify if DVDA has any effect, demux into m2v + audio using rejig or mpgtools (TMPGEnc) or whatever, & then create a minimalist DVD with Muxman -> burn to RW -> test.

For US consumption, by far the biggest problem/task is going to be creating NTSC video, though it is easier to go PAL -> NTSC than the other way around. Search on the conversion at places like videohelp & doom9.org and you'll find plenty of info on pros, cons, software, and a zillion opinions. ;?P

Briefly there might be some (hopefully minor) color issues, the frame will have to be resized/cropped, the fps will have to be altered. The *more correct* way to do this is in specialized hardware, but software exists, & some folks simply go from PAL's 25 fps to 24p, then add pulldown to get 29.976 NTSC requires -- in fact it's been considered by many a guerrilla method of shooting 24p in the US. Others in your situation do everything NTSC, simply because most EU players will handle it.
Bansaw wrote on 2/5/2007, 7:59 AM
Thanks all, --- very helpful , appreciated.