***16x9 capture settings...

NorBro

NorBro

Major Contributor
Hi,

When I'm in my 16x9 display and I shoot in "squeeze" mode, I capture the footage as anamorphic and work in an anamorphic 16x9 sequence.

When I'm in my 16x9 display and I shoot in "normal" mode (or I guess this is also called letterbox mode), I capture the footage regularly and work in a 4x3 timeline. However, I don't see the black bars on top and bottom as I seen them in the LCD while shooting. The only way to have them in the canvas during playback is if I check the footage as anamorphic and drop my clips into a 4x3 timeline.

Am I doing all this correctly?
 
NorBro said:
Hi,

When I'm in my 16x9 display and I shoot in "squeeze" mode, I capture the footage as anamorphic and work in an anamorphic 16x9 sequence.

When I'm in my 16x9 display and I shoot in "normal" mode (or I guess this is also called letterbox mode), I capture the footage regularly and work in a 4x3 timeline. However, I don't see the black bars on top and bottom as I seen them in the LCD while shooting. The only way to have them in the canvas during playback is if I check the footage as anamorphic and drop my clips into a 4x3 timeline.

Am I doing all this correctly?
Click to expand...

First off, when you talk about "when I'm in my 16x9 display," what "display" are you talking about? Camera? Computer desktop? External monitor?
 
I just did a few tests. It seems to be correct. If I don't checkmark my footage as anamorphic, then it will look squished in the 4x3 timeline. Once I do that, I dropped into the 4x3 timeline, and it puts bars on top and bottom and looks good...
 
NorBro said:
The one in the camera...
Click to expand...

Okay, that is helpful information.

The display options for the camera's LCD have absolutely nothing to do with what goes to tape, or how you capture and edit the footage. Those changes only affect how the information is presented on the camera's LCD.

To change shooting modes (in other words, to change the footage that's recorded), you have to go to Menu>Camera Settings>Aspect Ratio. There, you should have three choices: Norm, Letterbox, Squeeze.

Norm = Regular 4:3 footage, captured and edited at 4:3 (well, DV is really 3:2 due to non-square pixels)
Letterbox = simulated 16:9 with letterbox, recorded and edited as a 4:3 image with the black bars.
Squeeze = Anamorphic 16:9, captured as anamorphic, edited in an anamorphic 16:9 project, no letterbox bars recorded.

You need to choose one of those options based on how you want to edit the footage.

As for the display options, you will need to choose one to match your shooting mode, only to allow you to view the images properly during production.

If you are shooting Norm, set the viewfinder to display the full 4:3 image.

If you are shooting letterbox, use the same setting as if you were shooting 4:3 footage.

If you are shooting squeeze, you have two options. You can view it as full 4:3 which will look horizontally compressed/vertically stretched. Or, new to the 100b, you can set your camera's LCD to view the 16:9 image, which will look (in the LCD) the same as letterbox 4:3 for display only. It will still capture and edit as anamorphic 16:9 without the black bars.
 
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Norbro,
I just did a quick test with a DVX100b in rentals. The most direct answer to your questions is this: You're looking too deeply into the display menu. Stop changing the display mode of your LCD and leave it in auto.

There is only one way to change the way you are recording the image: Under camera setup>aspect conv.

Normal - this is a 4:3 image. Use this mode if you want a 4:3 aspect ratio, or are shooting with an attached anamorphic adapter.
Letterbox - This is a 4:3 image with the top and bottom masked with black bars. As I mentioned in your earlier thread this is basically a legacy option and you shouldn't ever have a need to use it. You can always add bars in post to 4:3 footage.
Squeeze - This is the anamorphic mode, the footage is squeezed horizontally and then squashed down vertically in post to give you a true 16:9.

You're thinking that the display options actually change anything. They do not. I tested it this morning just in case:
If you force a 4:3 aspect ratio under display options you will see the following:
Under normal the footage will look like 4:3 footage.
Under 16:9 black bars will appear to the top and bottom of the image.
Under Squeeze the footage will have no bars but will look horizontally squeezed.

If you force a 16:9 aspect ratio under display options you will see the following:
Under normal the footage will look horizontally squashed **I think you're failing to notice this** The footage does not look like true 16:9 footage. Bars will appear at the top and bottom of the screen, but if you put a circle in front of the camera you will notice its squashed. I think this is where your confusion is coming from. Similarly if you check anarmophic in your editing program when shooting normal, with or without 16:9 display aspect forced on your DVX100b's LCD screen, it will be horizontally squashed.
Under letterbox the footage will look squashed just like in normal, this means the footage will have wider black bars.
Under Squeeze the footage will look correct.

Nothing you do under the display menu will affect the picture quality of the camera
 
By george, I think I got it!

You guys have been very patient with me and explained this over and over again, and I believe I'm good now.

I don't know why the camera even has these options where you are able to combine different aspect conversions with the 4x3 and the 16x9 display modes. If I understand this correctly now, the only time anyone would want to use the 16x9 display on the LCD is when they are shooting in the "squeeze" mode.

Wouldn't it make more sense to have the camera disable the options in all other situations not to confuse very non-aspect ratio savvy individuals like myself???
 
NorBro said:
Wouldn't it make more sense to have the camera disable the options in all other situations not to confuse very non-aspect ratio savvy individuals like myself???
Click to expand...

Dumbing down the camera's controls would have hindered the DVX's success as a professional tool at a consumer cost. You simply have to learn to use the features to your benefit, and don't let them scare you.

And since there's an "auto" mode for the LCD display... that's pretty much the easy solution for "non aspect-ratio savvy" folks.
 
Yes, I guess you're absolutely right. But just out of curiosity, when would you ever use the 16x9 LCD display other than using it with squeeze?
 
NorBro said:
Yes, I guess you're absolutely right. But just out of curiosity, when would you ever use the 16x9 LCD display other than using it with squeeze?
Click to expand...

You wouldn't.

It's not that Panasonic thought folks would want/use that combination of settings. It's that they left the options open for people who wanted options. Instead of an automatic setting, they can choose to view their anamorphic footage in full-frame squeeze or in letterbox, rather than defeating the selection altogether or letting the camera decide.
 
Actually there is a very definite reason to force 16:9 and shooting normal: if you're using an anamorphic adapter. This would squash an image that is being optically squeezed by the adapter thus giving you a preview of what the image will look like after post.

This is great to make sure the anamorphic adapter is sitting perfectly perpendicular to the lens (other wise it doesnt squeeze the image properly)

Some people prefer to force 4:3 mode since it shows an underscanned frame. This means its showing you the whole frame (unlike television screens where around 10% of the frame is not shown on the screen, and why we have TV safe lines) this allows you to see if things are starting to show at the edge of the frame.
 
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