16:9 looks like 4:3, can anyone help newbie??

[Shadowbill]

I'm trying to make a DVD-R backup of my Dark Knight bluray because I like that the Imax scenes for this movie fill the entire 16:9 TV screen. and I know that it is only for the imax scenes, the scenes containing story are all 2.35:1 of course.

anyway, for some reason, when DVDFAb makes the DVD-R, it creates the backup in standard 4:3 and now there are black bars on top and bottom of the Imax scenes. and the black bars are even larger on the 2.35 scenes than they are on the bluray.

why is DVDFAb not keepiing the aspect ratio of 16:9 and creating a 16:9 DVD-R??

Thank you.

[malcolm]

Hi, Shadowbill,

DVDFab Blu-ray to DVD Converter does not change the aspect ratio while converting, please download MediaInfo (http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/en) and scan both your source files and output files to see if they have the same aspect ratio.

Yours
--
Malcolm

[Wilson.Wang]

Hi, Shadowbill,

Do you have check the source and the output video with MediaInfo? And also please tell us the check result.

Thanks!

Wilson

[Shadowbill]

How do I do check that?

I just started, I tried to pop in the bluray, open Bluray to DVD program, I chose the film file which was 2 hours 31 min. then I clicked start.

I'm guessing it scanned the Bluray, compressed it to the Hard drive, then the tray popped open for me to take out the bluray, and put in a DVD-R. about ten minutes later it was burned.

but when I played it back on my home player, it Letterboxed it adding black bars to the top and bottom of the imax scenes. but if I pop in the bluray in the player, it plays back the imax scenes as it should. So my TV and My player is set up correctly for 16:9. the change is happenning somewhere between the compression and the burner.

[signals]

I think they would like for you to install the free MediaInfo tool, to examine the input and output files for differences in how the aspect ratio was handled. If this disc has different aspect ratios for certain segments, it would make it hard to encode properly without just letterboxing the entire title.

[Shadowbill]

Does this make sense to anyone? These are the stats for the source Bluray, and the DVD type VOB files that was created in the Dark Knight folder on my Hard drive, before Fab burned the disc:

Dark Knight Bluray
film file m2ts: 37GB
Frame Resolution: 1920x 1080
Aspect Ratio 1.7778: 1


DVD VOB files
Frame Resolution: 852x480
Aspect Ratio 1.77:1

and I still have black bars on the imax scenes when they are supposed to fill upthe entire TV screen like the bluray.

[signals]

I wish I had this disc to test with, all I have is the DVD version. I don't understand how the disc is authored to have the IMAX scenes a different aspect ratio.

[kevinfritz]

I wish I had this disc to test with, all I have is the DVD version. I don't understand how the disc is authored to have the IMAX scenes a different aspect ratio.

My guess is that it is the BluRay equivalent of "seamless branching" used in some DVDs for extended versions, director's cuts, etc.

Sometimes these branches can be to different titles, which can be encoded differently than the main titles. It appears that DVDFab is only examining the initial coding and using that for all title segments encountered during "playback."

There was a "Transformers" BluRay tnat was encoded the same way - "Imax" scenes that filled the TV before going back to the normal aspect ratio.

[signals]

Yes, I am familiar with the technique, but I have never seen a Blu-ray where the apparent image size changes during the movie.

[kevinfritz]

Yes, I am familiar with the technique, but I have never seen a Blu-ray where the apparent image size changes during the movie.

OK, but they do exist - I can confirm that what Shadowbill is saying though for me it was on the bluray "Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen." This bluray also has most of the movie in an aspect ratio that has the black bars on the top and bottom of the screen even on a widescreen TV, but during "intense action" scenes, it switches to the 1.78:1 aspect ratio that fills the screen, and back to the primary aspect ratio when the action scene is over. The movie packaging called these screens "Imax" scenes, though there are plenty of Blurays and DVDs that have the 1:78:1 aspect throughout the film. Though I would have to trace the playback to be sure, I was guessing that it is handled similar to DVDs, with the IMAX scenes encoded as separate titles (so they can have a different aspect ratio), which are called from the main title.

The Transformers BluRay is the only Bluray title I have that has this feature and it seemed to be marketed for sale only as a few retail outlets like Best Buy, where I purchased mine.

Apparently DVDFab Bluray to DVD only uses the original aspect ratio during the entire conversion process.