When Anamorphic in FCP studio

[ksteiger]

I have been creating SD-DVD's from my 720 30PN footage in FCP 5.0.4 by importing the original sequence into a standard NTSC DV project (4:3). It automatically letterboxes the image and looks great. I then use compressor to create the MPEG2 files, also using the NTSC DV (4:3), then impoting that "asset" into DVD SP. All looks good.

My question is this. Should I be using the 16:9 or anamorphic settings instead? Wouldn't this create "squuezed" files that the DVD player should automatically letterbox when viewed, resulting in slightly better resolution?...
Or am I not understanding?
As always, you guys rock. Thanks for your help.

 

[Anders Holck]

Yes, you will get improved quality if you keep the video in anamorphic 16:9 through the DVD authoring. The DVD player will automatically letterbox on a 4:3 tv or show much better resolution on a 16:9 television.

If your target is mainly Letterbox on 4:3 televisions, the algorithm inside Final Cut Pro (5 at best seiings) is much better than most consumer DVD hardware scalers...