Aspect ratio question.....

[Steve McClean]

I have the hvx200 and we are shooting in 16:9. All the movies I watch are in something different it is a lot more narrow. I tried to drop it down to like I think it is (1.85.--something) in vegas 8 letterbox setting but that still isn't the same as the movie aspect ratio. So what is it? How do you get that same aspect ratio as the real movies that are made. Is it because they are shot on a real panavision 35 film camera.

Just curious....

oh the movie I watched was gladiator when I noticed it wasn't the normal aspect.

[Zak Forsman]

you are looking for "scope" aka 2.35:1 aka 2.40:1 aka 2.39:1.

[burt_benson]

I had just read this article yesterday. I think it might help.
http://digitalcontentproducer.com/hdhdv/depth/know_your_formats_0414/

[KMR]

I had just read this article yesterday. I think it might help.
http://digitalcontentproducer.com/hdhdv/depth/know_your_formats_0414/

Good article, but inaccurate in at least one point. It confuses image capture and recording format for the HVX200. It says, "Why does the HVX200 capture 1280x1080 rather than 1920x1080? Probably because Panasonic couldn’t source imaging chips that would capture the native image, pixel for pixel, at the necessary price or size." The camera DOES capture 1920x1080. But it RECORDS 1280x1080, like any other camera recording in DVCPro HD, since that's part of the format's definition. No matter what the camera or its chip's size/resolution, if it's recording to DVCPro HD it's going to be 1280x1080 (for 60Hz) or 1440x1080 (for 50Hz).

I couldn't find a place to submit a comment to the author of the article to have it corrected.

[Erik Olson]

Anamorphic Scope (CinemaScope/55; Panavision) began as 2.55:1, which yielded 2.35:1 with the mag sound added.

2-Perf spherical 35mm is close to it at 2.39:1 - which is the true aspect ratio of modern "scope" pictures.

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