Ask if 16:9 vs 4:3

C

craigferriter

Member
Shooting with a DVX100A.

Do you all ask if the customer primarily will watch on widescreen?

If yes, what settings do you change on the dvx?

If no, how do you convert 4:3 to 16:9?

I am using PPro.


Thanks!
 
I think that it depends on the type of project, or a specific look you are going for. If its just for tv viewing, then I would say that you should stay with 4:3. There is a squeeze mode for the DVX under camera setup to kind of cheat a 16:9 image, but I think that you loose alot of resolution. If you are serious about shooting widescreen, you should get an anamorphic adaptor.

You can't convert 4:3 to 16:9 in post, at least not in premiere, you can simply create a "gimick" look by either stretching the picture over a 16:9 window, or adding letterbox titles.
 
How will they be watching the footage? If from a DVD, don't worry about it -- shoot 16:9, and when you master the DVD, the DVD player will take care of converting it to 4:3 (if the DVD player is connected to a 4:3 TV).
 
Barry_Green said:
How will they be watching the footage? If from a DVD, don't worry about it -- shoot 16:9, and when you master the DVD, the DVD player will take care of converting it to 4:3 (if the DVD player is connected to a 4:3 TV).
Click to expand...

So you are saying if dvd shoot in squeeze mode? or just letterbox?
 
If you can compose properly that way and don't want to crop in post, shoot Squeeze. Then compress it as an MPEG2 16:9 (non-square pixels) 720x480. When you bring this into Encore DVD (I'm assuming you're using Adobe for your whole workflow), it'll automatically set up the asset to play letterboxed on SD TVs and wide on widescreens.
 
It is very easy converting 4:3 to 16:9

If not using an anamorphic adapter just shoot 4:3. This will give you some room to move the image up or down if you are not totally satisfied with the composition. Just mask your viewfinder for a 16:9 image but record in 4:3.
Edit the material in a 4:3 project. Then start a widescreen project and import the 4:3 project. Place the 4:3 sequence on your 16:9 timeline. You will notice that the 4:3 sequence will show as one clip. Select the clip and scale it up to 133,3%. It will now fill the whole widescreen area. If you export it now it will be a 16:9 movie.
 
SlowKarma said:
It is very easy converting 4:3 to 16:9

If not using an anamorphic adapter just shoot 4:3. This will give you some room to move the image up or down if you are not totally satisfied with the composition. Just mask your viewfinder for a 16:9 image but record in 4:3.
Edit the material in a 4:3 project. Then start a widescreen project and import the 4:3 project. Place the 4:3 sequence on your 16:9 timeline. You will notice that the 4:3 sequence will show as one clip. Select the clip and scale it up to 133,3%. It will now fill the whole widescreen area. If you export it now it will be a 16:9 movie.
Click to expand...

The only problem with that is when you decide to scale your video in post, you sacrifice picture quality in the process.
 
does that give you about the same resolution loss as squeeze mode? I bet uprezzing would help with that option.
 
I always make sure and talk to the client as to what the common playback device will be. Just started a web only project and that means my video safe just moved. Anyways if they want 4:3, shoot 4:3 and if they want 16:9 shoot for that. All this fixing it in post is time consuming and requires careful framing many times. If you do alot of 16:9 get an anamorphic adapter as previously mentioned. Or an HVX :)
 
Doing a 4:3 project and bringing it to new 16:9 and scaling it 133,3% gives you exactly the same quality as shooting squeeze. Basically it is the same thing DVX100 does in-camera if you set it to squeeze.

I had to convert two 30 minute 4:3 projects to 16:9 for TV. First I exported the 4:3 into single avi file and imported that to a new 16:9 project. Scaled up 133.3%, viewed it thru and noted a couple of places where the framing was off (basically shots of people where both legs and heads were cropped out...). Back to 4:3 project, resave with new name, reposition those trouble clips up or down as needed, re-export to avi and replace the old file with new one in 16:9 project. Export to tape and send it to the TV station.

Quite fast, exept the rendering and exporting required.
 
Petrus said:
Doing a 4:3 project and bringing it to new 16:9 and scaling it 133,3% gives you exactly the same quality as shooting squeeze.
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Not even close in terms of quality. Scaling a 4:3 image in post to create an anamorphic image causes a great deal of degradation. Granted, I don't know how the squeeze mode on the DVX works. Some cameras utilize a larger imager to accomodate widescreen acquisition.
 
milksac said:
Granted, I don't know how the squeeze mode on the DVX works. Some cameras utilize a larger imager to accomodate widescreen acquisition.
Click to expand...

Exactly...

Squeeze mode in DVX100 works by using only the center vertical pixels in the sensor and uprezing that to 480 or 576 (NTSC or PAL). EXACTLY the same thing editor does when you bring 4:3 footage to 16:9 project and scale 133,3 %. For that reason the quality is identical. Some even say doing it in the editor is superior as the rendering algorithms are better than the on-the-fly converison DVX100 has to do.
 
Okay, then how is the videographer industry moving as the customers do, to 16:9 using the DVX?


We have one dvx now, about to buy a second, and both the new tvs we bought are 16:9.


Are most of you asking first? Are you shooting in 4:3? Or using adapter?

When you replace your dvx 100, are you buying a 16:9?


Thanks again!@
 
craigferriter said:
Okay, then how is the videographer industry moving as the customers do, to 16:9 using the DVX?


We have one dvx now, about to buy a second, and both the new tvs we bought are 16:9.


Are most of you asking first? Are you shooting in 4:3? Or using adapter?

When you replace your dvx 100, are you buying a 16:9?


Thanks again!@
Click to expand...

If you have the money the HVX is a good option to consider, the Squeeze mode, on the hvx is true wide screen, the SD on the HVX is truly beautiful and you have the tape transport just like the DVX and when you ready you can got to p2 cards, the DVX i doubt will be factory upgraded it doesnt and i imagine never will have a true wide screen mode, personally i think the incamera option is good to consider permieres up scale is quite nasty in comparisin
 
craigferriter said:
Okay, then how is the videographer industry moving as the customers do, to 16:9 using the DVX?


We have one dvx now, about to buy a second, and both the new tvs we bought are 16:9.


Are most of you asking first? Are you shooting in 4:3? Or using adapter?

When you replace your dvx 100, are you buying a 16:9?


Thanks again!@
Click to expand...


The dvx is probably one of the last standard def 4:3 cams to come out. Everything now is either hdv or hd dvc-pro like the hvx, and they all the prosumer models are shooting with 16:9 ccds, so your worries will be adressed with your next purchase. Personaly, if you are thinking of buying another dvx, I would made the switch over to hd. The canon xh a1 is the same price range and offers 1080 with 24f plus 16:9 shooting.
 
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