Wide Screen format for China

Former user wrote on 9/18/2009, 4:41 AM
I have a client that needs a clip output for use in China and their contact there has requested the following: MPEG2 file in PAL 1024 x 576 pixels. (Widescreen format).

None of the templates in Vegas offer that option. I tried setting the properties to 1024 x 576 and a PAL widescreen ratio (Vegas indicates 1.4568) and the resulting screen is really wide.

Any ideas? Thanks.

Comments

Laurence wrote on 9/18/2009, 5:07 AM
1024x576 is a pretty common projector resolution. It sounds to me like the fact that the client probably wants it for projector presentation is a more important factor than it being Chinese. I would also say that it is pretty safe to say that they want square pixels. I would come up with a custom high quality mp4 template that is 1024x576 square pixels at 25 fps.
John_Cline wrote on 9/18/2009, 5:10 AM
Set it to a PAR of 1.0 (square pixels) instead of PAL widescreen. 1024x576 is already 16x9. In this case, PAL probably means 25 frames per second and not NTSC's 29.97.
farss wrote on 9/18/2009, 5:57 AM
PAL SD 16:9 is 1028x576, Vegas gets it wrong at 1029x576, all pixel dimensions should be even numbers.

Anyways just use the standard PAL Widescreen template. 720x576 PAR = 1.4568 25fps Render to the same PAL Widescreen mpeg-2 template, job done.

I don't know for certain if the playout device will work with a PAR = 1.000, I doun't think it's part of the DVD spec and I suspect they'll be using a DVD player or similar device to playout your file.

If you downscale HD to PAL 16:9 what you get must be very close to 1024x576, small black bars on the side, I suspect that's how they've derived the 1024 number. No one is going to sweat over 2 pixels on each side of the frame. I've done a couple of promo DVDs for playout in China as 16:9 using the above and had no complaints.

Bob.
Former user wrote on 9/18/2009, 6:23 AM
Thanks for the information everyone.

I've sent an email into the production group to clarify what they want. I rendered a 5 second clip at 1024 x 576 at 1.000 - 25fps in Quicktime and sent it along for them to try.

Jim