Another 16x9 question... I know.

J

JayR

Active member
Seems like these questions pop up often around here. You think I would have an excellent understanding by now.

So I want to shoot squeeze mode on the DVX100b for the first time. I want to release the final film on DVD (homemade, DVD-r) for festivals as well as youtube. Looking at a few clips on youtube I noticed that squeeze mode doesn't fill the viewer all the way. There are still black bars on top AND on the sides. Any reason for this and is there any way to fill the entire viewer?

Also, I know there is a loss of quality when using squeeze mode but is it very noticeable? Is the quality bad enough where it would shame the DVX?

And finally, though this question would better be posted on the post board- in which way should I export the final film? I know there is a way to do it where the DVD player recognizes the video signal and will add black bars to the top on a 4:3 tv.
 
Hello JeyR,

For DVD release shoot in squeeze mode, edit in 16:9 timeline and author the DVD as 16:9 anamorphic. That DVD will be played normally on a 16:9 tv set and with letterbox bars on a 4:3 tv set. The DVD player ll do the dirty job for you...

By shooting squeeze you re loosing 25% of the image (compared to 4:3 normal mode), but its the only way to have useful 16:9 from a DVX.

Letterbox mode will give you a slightly better image quality than squeeze (no stretching is happening) while the image loss is again 25% (black bars).

However I cant think of a reason why somebody would shoot letterbox nowadays...

Now, about the quality of the results and if it would shame the DVX, the answer can come only from you...I mean everybody has different expectations and standarts about quality...

I m VERY pleased with the results of squeeze/progressive footage (especially when we re talking about DVD release I can easy compare it even to downconverted HD)........But Im VERY disappointed of the squeeze/interlaced from the DVX...but again...this is just my opinion.

As for release to the web...well I dont do it so I cant be sure why your footage doesnt fill the viewer, but in any case for web release you always have the option to uprez your footage so the results can be even better...

Sorry for the big post...I think I lost my way...started just to answer and ended up expressing my thougths...anyway hope I helped...
 
Me again...

I almost forgot some details about squeeze mode that I should have mentioned because as you said it ll be your first time shooting like that and you might not know about them...

First of all set your line detail to THIN...that way you ll not loose more resolution...

And finally...be aware of the overscan issue of the LCD and viewfinder IF you set your display aspect to AUTO. In that case your DVX will be recording more image (at top and bottom) than the image you ll be able to see on the LCD. That can be a problem if you want to take some realy tight shots.

You can get away from that problem if you set your display aspect to 4:3
 
Thanks! That was a HUGE help. One more question, if I am using a monitor to look at the footage will I still see the part of the image that will be cut off?
 
I was told by a top NYC post house that it is much better to shoot letterbox compared to squeeze mode since letterbox only masks the image and actually helps in framing parameters while preserving the full 4x3 resolution. Squeeze mode actually trims about 25% of the horizontal resolution to achieve the same frame dimension. If you are planning to project or cut (uprez) with HD 16x9, it would be well worth a quick call to the post house you plan on using to find out their preference before you shoot.
 
yes, the letterbox is for 4:3 display. you don't want to show it in 16:9
so by adding the black bars on the 4:3, it looks more like the cine look, so basically it's like a fake 16:9
 
JayR,

When shooting squeeze and have your display aspect to 16:9 or AUTO, in your LCD/VIEWFINDER you see LESS image than the image that is being actually recorded to your tape.

Im saying that again because I have the impression that you didnt understand my previous explanation...I know...my bad English do not help...sorry!

If you use a monitor to view the footage you ll be able to see the REAL image, the one that is being actually recorded, but in a horizontally squished look. So its exactly the same thing as if you would set your display aspect of your DVX to 4:3 and look at your LCD.

Jim,

I agree that letterbox mode retains better image quality and that is only because there is no any digital stretching like in squeeze mode. However I still think is totally useless...Its just 4:3 video with black bars recorded at top and bottom...

Before some years, when all the tv sets were 4:3 somebody could use it as a fake 16:9, but now....

Anyway, IF for some reason someone wants the black bars, instead of shooting letterbox its better to shoot normal 4:3 and add the bars in post.

This way there in no quality loss, freedom to reframe in post if necessary, ability to color correct normally (any color correction at letterbox footage will affect the black bars as well)...

Andy,

For some reason I cant see your video (youtube is asking me the new flash player or something like that) but I can imagine what is going on...
Edit your letterbox footage in a 4:3 timeline...
 
groveChuck said:
As far as the black bars on Youtube on the top and bottom as well as the sides, I think that could be (correct me anybody if I'm wrong) just low quality encoding of the video.

To get High Quality, export as 640x360 and use a bitrate of 4000
Here's a great tutorial on encoding for HQ Youtube
Chuck

http://webvideotechniques.com/35/how-to-encode-your-videos-for-youtubes-new-high-quality-option
Click to expand...

I think you're right. I talked to a filmmaker after I posted this and he showed me a video he shot with squeeze mode and not only does it look great but it also fills the viewer.
 
SQUEEZE is fantastic. People are using it constantly and making award winning films, including cinematography awards. I honestly don't think you can tell the difference. Sure, you can shoot LETTERBOX, but if you want a 16:9 DVD, you'll have to digitally resize the image in post anyway. Do you want to digitally resize in post (after 4:1:1 color subsampling and 5:1 DV compression) or in-camera (before color subsampling and compression)?
 
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