DVX100B 4:3 to true 16:9

jdmoviemaker

jdmoviemaker

Well-known member
Hello ,
I have a question about the dvx 16:9.
I know its not true 16:9 first of all , but can you film in 4:3 , edit it and then turn it into true 16:9?
or is it better to just film in 16:9 ; edit it , then burn it to dvd?
will you still get good resolution even though you film in fake 16:9? and will it appear in letterbox on a 4:3 t.v. and 16:9 on a 16:9 t.v.?

I have lots of questions about 16:9 editing from the dvx100b
 
Squeeze mode works great and gives a nice-looking 16:9 picture. The best thing you can do is test it out and see if it works for you. I love shooting squeeze.
 
I have never used squeeze mode.
It looks really tall on the screen , but will it give you a 16:9 letterbox picture on a 4:3 t.v.?
Do you have to do anything in the editing process to get 16:9?
 
Widescreen. Letterbox is only better if you HAVE to deliver as 4:3. But there are few instances where you do.
 
This topic was discussed a few (to be true many many...) times here on this board. Letterbox should be used if the result is going to be shown on a 4:3 TV/monitor/projector/screen. Squeeze mode should be used if the result is going to be shown on a 16:9 screen/TV/...
If you want the best (highest resolution) 16:9 result, you should use the anamorphic adapter.
 
I'm trying to sort some of these issues out myself. I'm going to go back and watch the film "November" special features. If I remember correctly, they shot in 4:3 then "uprezzed" to 16:9 in post. I don't think they used either Letterbox or Squeeze, but they may have had an anamorphic adaptor. I know this was discussed, but I don't remember how much detail they provided. It's been a long time and back then I hadn't made the decision to edit my latest film myself.

_Bill
 
jdmoviemaker said:
so you would not recommend using the fake 16:9 feature on the dvx100b.
Click to expand...

As far as I know the DVX100b only has 3 modes for aspect ration : 4:3 , letterbox or Sqeeze mode.
I thought you were talking about the Sqeeze mode when saying "fake 16:9"...
If not you have to give some more information what you are talking about...
 
maniero said:
As far as I know the DVX100b only has 3 modes for aspect ration : 4:3 , letterbox or Sqeeze mode.
I thought you were talking about the Sqeeze mode when saying "fake 16:9"...
If not you have to give some more information what you are talking about...
Click to expand...

No I was talking about the actual 16:9 feature , not the squeeze mode.
there is a feature where you go to aspect ratio and there is 4:3 and 16:9.
When you choose 16:9 it crunches the image down when you exit the menu.
would you recommend using it?
 
Why the hell not shoot 4x3, then in post you can frame it perfectly for 16x9.
Gives you so much more freedom. Plus you can add in camera tilts.
 
jdmoviemaker said:
No I was talking about the actual 16:9 feature , not the squeeze mode.
there is a feature where you go to aspect ratio and there is 4:3 and 16:9.
When you choose 16:9 it crunches the image down when you exit the menu.
would you recommend using it?
Click to expand...

This will only change your DVX's LCD display to 16:9. It has no effect to the recorded data/material...
 
There is a big thread here somewhere about using photozoom software to uprezz 4x3 footage to 16x9. And by the sounds of it, it works great. Do a search.

But why go thru all that trouble to save gain a bit of resolution? If your release is for bigscreen home viewing, the squeeze mode on the DVX kicks out an AWESOME picture, PLENTY good enough quality for professionals in my opinion, but remember you have to light things properly and shoot right in the first place. No function on any camera can take the place of that. I heard all kinds of things about "25-33 percent loss of resolution" when shooting in squeeze mode. Well, i dont see it on the big screens in the homes. Even if it is true.. it is not noticeable at all.. and believe me, i look for everything. The film we shot in squeeze mode looks beautiful on the plasmas and bigscreens. Now if we blow it up HUGE on the silver screen for theatrical release, then we might start seeing a difference. But if that is your goal, then i recommend a better camera than the DVX to begin with. (although it DOES hold up well even on the huge screen!)

So heres the way i see it. I dont shoot in 4X3 anymore. I always shoot squeeze because I cant see going through all that rendering and buying the software to get 16x9 footage when you can shoot 16x9 to begin with in squeeze. AND see exactly what you are going to get in the viewfinder while you are shooting. This made things a lot easier.

Having said that, the photozoom is a great idea for people who have already shot 4x3 and now want to make it 16x9. Thats my opinion.

If you want 16x9 footage, for crying out loud.. go ahead and shoot squeeze and be done with it. It looks great. (IF you light properly and shoot right to begin with)
 
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Exactly.

If you like to obsess over a few lines of resolution or are unable to properly frame a shot when you press record then shoot 4:3 and upres in post.

I shoot squeeze exclusively and just drop it in a 16:9 timeline and go.
 
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