Is there a script for letterboxing 4x3 from 16x9?

earthrisers wrote on 4/30/2008, 7:22 PM

We're doing some shoots of local theater productions, using a pair of Sony PD170s. (Yielding NTSC DV, not High-Def.)
The PD170 is capable of shooting 16x9 aspect, which is quite nice for shooting a stage-play. The PD170 does 16x9 anamorphically, which is great, but which gets tricky when you are trying to get a DVD that will play letterboxed on a 4x3 TV and full-frame on a 16x9 TV.
Most (but not all) folks who will get the DVDs still have 4x3 television sets.

We found, in Vegas 8 Help, how to create a "letterboxed" render, so that 16x9 footage looks fine on a 4x3 TV, with the usual top&bottom black bars, and the same footage looks really good on a native 16x9 TV.

We're very happy with the result -- but there sure are a LOT of steps to go through to get to that result (several projects with different settings, multiple renders...)! Does anyone know of a SCRIPT that will automate at least some of this workflow?

Comments

JohnnyRoy wrote on 4/30/2008, 7:33 PM

I'm not sure what steps you are going through but all you have to do is render the project as DV Widescreen and let the DVD worry about letterboxing for 4:3 TV's. It is much simpler. I deliver all of my HDV content this way and it plays fine on both 16:9 and 4:3 TV's.

If you just need a script to convert a project with 4:3 footage to widescreen both VASST Ultimate S Pro and VASST Celluloid will do this. If you want to render your project in multiple formats, Ultimate S Pro can do that too.

~jr

Laurence wrote on 4/30/2008, 8:00 PM

JohnK wrote on 4/30/2008, 10:04 PM

Right click on the anamorphic clip, chose:
Proprtoties->media->pixel aspect ratio->16x9 NTSC wide screen.

That should do it.
jk

Wolfgang S. wrote on 5/1/2008, 3:32 AM

Yes, there was a script changing 16:9 footage to 4:3 footage. I think it was published long time here ago. It was written by John H. Meyer in 2006.

craftech wrote on 5/1/2008, 5:37 AM

'The PD170 has 4:3 CCDs and the in camera 16:9 mode just chops the top and bottom off and interpolates the middle: the same as Ultimate S or Celluloid. If anything, doing it in software looks a little better.
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I shoot with a VX2000 (same thing basically) in native 4:3, and as with the OP most of my customers have 4:3 televisions. The few that have the 16:9 televisions don't have a problem because they let the TV itself handle it.

That is what I would recommend for now. Next February 9 when the federally mandated switch to all digital broadcast takes place we will know if everyone threw away their televisions to run out and buy a new 16:9 television in this US failing economy that will be perpetuated after the media elects the next Republican as president.

John

RalphM wrote on 5/1/2008, 5:45 AM

I recently use a VX2000 in 16:9 mode to shoot a stage play. The results in letterboxed mode are acceptable, but pretty marginal on a widescreen TV in 16:9.

Using the PD170/VX2000 in 16:9 can work reasonably well for closeups, but they are marginal for the really wide shots of the stage. Also, watch for burn-out on the actors' cheek bones if the lighting is not even. (Not necessarily unique to these camcorders, but when I tried to improve the sharpness of the video, the slight burn-out on the cheeks created a mask type effect.)

craftech wrote on 5/1/2008, 5:55 AM

Also, watch for burn-out on the actors' cheek bones if the lighting is not even. (Not necessarily unique to these camcorders, but when I tried to improve the sharpness of the video, the slight burn-out on the cheeks created a mask type effect.)
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This is the eternal dilemma when shooting stage productions and directors are often difficult. Unfortunately, you can't use spotlight mode with manual exposure so the only real solution is to let some of the actors be in the dark in order to strike the right balance to avoid creating incandescent blobs for heads on some of the others.

John