Odd format problem on miniDV tape

[Dave Watterson]

I received a miniDV cassette with two short films which were both 4:3 format. They had been carefully checked as that by the sender.

I played the tape back on a Sony camcorder and found that one of the films appeared letterboxed and stretched (short. fat people).
I played the tape back on a JVC camcorder and they both appeared as 4:3.
I played the tape back on a second, different model Sony camcorder and the same letterbox/stretched image was shown.

Why? Any ideas?


Dave

[col lamb]

Its the signal embedded in the tape that tells the playback device what settings to use that is not being interpreted correctly by the Sony's.

I think that it is just a manufacturer incompatibility issue.

We have had issues similar playing back tapes so I'd hazard a guess that it was originally recorded on a Panasonic or JVC camcorder or a HDV unit

[Dave Watterson]

That sounds right, Col. It is the first time I have come across the issue in a decade of working with miniDVs from all over the place and subtitling ...

If there is a God I hope she will decide that "standards are standards" and enforce them in future!

[col lamb]

Dave

No chance, even my AVCHD files from the Panny 151 are different from the TM900 and different again from the Sony

Col

[tom hardwick]

The aspect ratio problem came about because the introduction on DV tape in 1995 preceded widescreen TVs. DV was 720 x 576 here in PAL land and naturally this was 4:3 as were all the camcorders and TVs. NTSC was 720 x 480.

Then the first widescreen sets started to trickle in and 4 or so years later the first 16:9 DV camcorders started to arrive. Only problem was they used the same DV (or MiniDV) tape and the same 720 x 576 pixels - so each individual pixel was now a tiny horizontal rectangle to stretch the image from 1.33:1 to 1.77:1 (16:9). As Col says, manufacturers couldn't agree on basic 'flagging' standards to describe the aspect ratio of the video file.

High definition hasn't been a whole lot better, but at least now PAL and NTSC use the same pixel displays. Hi-def can be 1280 x 720, 1440 x 1080, 1920 x 1080 and so on.

tom.

[Lee Prescott]

Hi Everyone....

Valuable info, that I will now pass on to other affected filmaereos....

Now these vagaries of the Aspect situation is finally explained...Ta!

This 4:3 / 16:9 thingy has bothered me just a feeeew times however,
I "sorted it" by resetting the Aspect ratio both on the TV (monitor)
and projectors on play back - that worked!

As Confucious He say: "always keep your aspect up"!

Chheers....Lee.....

[John C]

Lee,
I have a 4:3 Monitor and a 16:9 monitor.My 16:9 footage looks ok on the 4:3 but on the 16:9 monitor it seems to have been streatched again.

The same thing on the laptop and when viewed by a non film person, aged 8, I could not explain why his Father's cows were elongated.
Is there a simple explanation?

KR
John C.

[Dave Watterson]

John - check the menu on your 16x9 television. There will be settings for 16x9 and 4x3 plus various others with fancy names.

Beware of one called "automatic" - you would think that would set itself to suit whatever you were sending in ... but usually it means "I will distort your picture to fill the screen..."

Dave

[John C]

Thanks Dave, the Monitor is not a TV and is called Flatron W2246s.
I eventually tracked down a Manual and it said that the best resolution for this screen was 1920 x 1080.
I have always had both screens at the same resolution. Now I have one at 1280x1024 and one at 1920x1080 but my pictures for editing are in the same proportions and not as distracting as before.
Thank you
KR
John C