Resizing 4:3 Letterboxed to True Widescreen

[EpheMeroN]

Like many dvds that were created many many years ago, the box says widescreen when it's really 4:3 letterboxed. I want to make it true 16:9 with AviSynth. This conversion becomes vertically overstretched w/ my current script.

CURRENT SCRIPT
LoadPlugin("C:\Multimedia\Avisynth 2.5\Plugins\DGDecode.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Multimedia\Avisynth 2.5\Plugins\RemoveGrainSSE2.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Multimedia\Avisynth 2.5\Plugins\nnedi.dll")

MPEG2Source("C:\Users\User1\Desktop\what-about-bob-main-movie\VideoFile.d2v")

Crop(8,68,-8,-68)

RemoveGrain(mode=2)

NNEDI(Field=0, dh=True)
Spline36Resize(Width(), 480)

AddBorders(8,0,8,0)

SOURCE VIDEO (4:3 Letterboxed)
http://i44.tinypic.com/15qyj2p.jpg

RE-ENCODED VIDEO (16:9 Widescreen)
http://i40.tinypic.com/30c0rqu.jpg

[Alex_ander]

The relationship in height numbers between anamorphic and letterboxed (inside 4:3 screen) 16:9 images is very simple. The letterboxed 16:9 image occupies exactly 3/4 of vertical size. Then if you are cropping the letterboxed part and resizing it to full frame height, the cropped pixel numbers should be 480/4=120 in total (you have cropped a bit more, 136) even if any black borders remain (the visible part is not necessarily exact 16:9 at this). After resizing the cropped part, you can refresh borders e.g. with Letterbox(). This should give the same display proportions as in original version, independently of AR in the visible part of its image.

[vucloutr]

*here stood something wrong*

[Alex_ander]

With cropping to visible (as originally done) there should be something like this:

Crop(8,68,-8,-68)
#NNEDI trick
Spline36Resize(704,460)# mod4 (458,7 without rounding)
AddBorders(8,12,8,8)

[EpheMeroN]

With cropping to visible (as originally done) there should be something like this:

Crop(8,68,-8,-68)
#NNEDI trick
Spline36Resize(704,460)# mod4 (458,7 without rounding)
AddBorders(8,12,8,8)
Are you suggesting not using nnedi? I was told last year on the forums that it works really well for upsizing in situations like this.

[Alex_ander]

Are you suggesting not using nnedi?
No. Of course, use it as intended, I've just simplified that line.

P.S. I'm assuming you apply it to IVTC'ed film or smth. progressive.

[EpheMeroN]

No. Of course, use it as intended, I've just simplified that line.

P.S. I'm assuming you apply it to IVTC'ed film or smth. progressive.
Yes. The .d2v I've loaded in my script has Forced FILM applied. It's entirely progressive.

[2Bdecided]

No need to add the 8 pixel borders back on each side. Keep the 704.

The "you just need 3/4 of the original lines" is a nice easy to remember 4x3>16x9 number. It's just (4/3) / (16/9) = 3/4 = 0.75. No magic, just nice easy maths.

Cheers,
David.

[FlimsyFeet]

I remember reading somewhere that 704 x 480 is not strictly DVD compliant if it is 16:9?

[EuropeanMan]

i've used 704/480 on MANY encodes for 4:3 --> 16:9 conversions.

DVD specifications call for 704/480 or 720/480 video for NTSC. 704 & 720/576 for PAL.

[2Bdecided]

I remember reading somewhere that 704 x 480 is not strictly DVD compliant if it is 16:9?That's a badly (wrongly?) worded wiki entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD-Video

In truth, I believe it's the half resolution (352-pixel) versions that aren't "valid" for 16x9. 720 and 704 are both fine.

(though I bet even the 352-pixel resolutions work for 16x9 on ?almost? every player out there!)

Cheers,
David.

[um3k]

I've created 352x480 16:9 DVDs that worked fine, playing at the correct aspect ratio in the limited number of players I've tried them in. Of course, you end up with lousy horizontal resolution, but my source and target display were both fairly poor quality.