Cropping a 4:3 DVD to 16:9

[hazamatic]

Hi All,

I've got a few DVDs that are actually 16:9, but are encoded as 4:3 (they have big black borders added to the top and bottom). This is a problem since my DVD player refuses to play them as anything but 4:3, and so adds black borders to the left and right on my 16:9 plasma, effectively meaning I am using a little more than a quarter of my screen.

So, my question, is there any easy way to re-encode these movies, having cropped the top and bottom (the black borders) to make them 16:9?

My experience in encoding DVDs is limited to DVDShrink atm :)

Sorry if this question has already been asked (I would imagine it to be a common problem?). I couldn't find it doing a search...

[CWR03]

Between your DVD player or your TV you should have a setting to display the disk properly without re-encoding it. If that doesn't work for you, I'm sure someone will offer a method to re-encode it, but it's not something with which I'm familiar.

[linyx]

A script in avisynth like this should do it.
DirectShowSource("MOVIE.M2V")
Crop(0,60,0,-60)
You may need to change the 60 and -60 to fit exactly. Then open the .AVS file with TMPGEnc, and that should work. Once you get the video cropped you will need to reauthor it with muxman and vobblanker.

[dialysis1]

I let DVD Rebuilder take care of those movies.

[setarip_old]

@hazamatic

Hi!

Sounds like you have a standalone player that automatically upconverts the DVD output. If so, for these particular DVDs, you may not be able to change the plasma's settings until you set the player to 480p (or 480i)...

[manono]

Hi All,

I've got a few DVDs that are actually 16:9, but are encoded as 4:3.
No, they're actually 4:3; widescreen 4:3.

Yeah, use DVD Rebuilder as dialysis1 says. It has a setting to do just what you want. Or use the zoom on your remote control to make them fill the screen from right to left. They won't look any better than that (and may look worse) by being reencoded to 16:9.

[hazamatic]

Thanks guys I'll try Rebuilder.

Yeah the zoom button on the dvd player helps but it's not perfect since it doesn't zoom the correct amount...either too much or too little.

Thanks again for the quick help!

[dat720]

There is no correct amount to zoom.... the player will zoom to preset levels, if it doesn't suit you it doesn't mean it is not correct, it means you don't like it!

[setarip_old]

@hazamatic

Is your player one that automatically upconverts your DVD from 480p/i to either 720p or 1080p/i?

[smok3]

you will need to

a. crop +
b. resize/blowup height +
c. reencode,

where steps b. and c. are lossy, so generally speaking : don't do it

example calc:
http://resizecalc.somestuff.org/index.php?ssmw=704&sar=1.094&sar2=&ssmh=576&CT=60&CL=&CR=&CB=60&trw=704&dar=1.459&dar2=&mod=&padw=&padh=576&css=&doit=true

[dat720]

Dude that calc is awesome!!!

You should release it as a program.....

[smok3]

it is a 'program'... ?

[LoRd_MuldeR]

I think he means a "program" one can run locally without Internet connection to your server.

Of course one can install Apache+PHP (XAMPP) to run your calculator program locally, but the normal user most probably won't do that...

Maybe a small Java program/applet would be a good and platform-independent solution ;)

[smok3]

But i do actually prefer a 20k platform-independent script ;), there should be plenty of 'standalone solutions' with some googling thought.

there are things like http://wapache.sourceforge.net/ which can make standalone php apps reality, if somebody wants to give that a go..., no i'am not doing it.

[netmask]

Hi All,

I've got a few DVDs that are actually 16:9, but are encoded as 4:3 (they have big black borders added to the top and bottom). This is a problem since my DVD player refuses to play them as anything but 4:3, and so adds black borders to the left and right on my 16:9 plasma, effectively meaning I am using a little more than a quarter of my screen. snip

I may be wrong as it is a while since I've done this but it sounds like a job for IFOEdit. http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/mpg/ifoedit-basic.htm

Copy the DVD to your hard disk and then using IFOEdit open the IFO file called "VTS_01_0.IFO". Open the video title (icon of a bit of film) by double clicking on it, check to see if the the box 'automatic letterbox' is ticked and or 'letter boxed(top&bottom cropped)' , if they are untick and leave only the top box 'automatic pan and scan' ticked - save and do the same for all ifo files in the collection. Burn it to a rewritable and check it out. Might well be a simple solution

[dat720]

But i do actually prefer a 20k platform-independent script ;), there should be plenty of 'standalone solutions' with some googling thought.

there are things like http://wapache.sourceforge.net/ which can make standalone php apps reality, if somebody wants to give that a go..., no i'am not doing it.

i'll take on the challenge

[smok3]

dat720, if you come up with something cool, post here;
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=133557
(sorry for hijacking this thread)

netmask: i believe the conversion is from 16:9LB to 16:9FHA, where ifoedit wont really help.

[netmask]

Picking up on what Smok3 said netmask: i believe the conversion is from 16:9LB to 16:9FHA, where ifoedit wont really help.

I found this fairly extensive guide and discusion over at videohelp.com Convert 4:3 letterboxed(16:9 picture inside a 4:3 canvas) to 16:9 Anamorphic at http://forum.videohelp.com/topic316902.html