Aspect Ratio and ITU standard... again...

[len0x]

I'm sure all of you read this sticky thread: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=42708
Well, if you haven't then you definitely should before repeating any discussion here.

Everyone has it's own opinion/experience with ITU standard check box. And I'm sure everyone is happy with his choice for ripping DVDs to watch on the PC. What I actually wanted to discuss is how hardware DivX players handle different aspect ratios when displaying on TV. I don't own such player, so I have no experience in this area. But I'm very curious how it works. So a couple of questions to the public:

1) Do hardware players just act like software playes, i.e. just stretching the width of video, leaving height intact (and hence if your following ITU standard for 4:3 aspect ration you'll get black bars on top and bottom)?
2) Do they have an option to select aspect ratio for AVI files (since AVI container doesn't carry that info in it)
3) Do they have an option to play anamorphic AVI? (this one is very interesting, since I don't think software players can do that).

Any personal experience from owners of hardware DivX playes would be highly appreciated.

[jggimi]

Moved from the Gordian Knot forum to the Hardware DVD Players forum, where there might be knowledgable folks who can answer len0x's question.

[Zhnujm]

1) Unfortunatly my current player needs the PAR of a DVD to play an avi file correct.
I can check this next week as there should be new firmware wich correct some major problems with avi file resizing/zooming.
I hope they fix this as in this form it is somewhat useless.

2) No, they only use 1:1 aspect ratio.

3) No. Of course you can play such files but you need a display that can handle it (16:9 TV).
Some players can resize x+y axis independent so you can adjust it manually for 4:3 display.

[len0x]

Thanks for info. So for your player avi has to be always letterboxed if it is widescreen, right ? Which player is it btw ?

Anyone else ?

[zag2me]

Interesting questions.

According to the Kiss developers, they leave the aspect ratio alone completely whatever mode you have selected. They take the view that whatever it was encoded in should be the final viewable aspect ratio.

Iv been campaigning for a verticle zoom function, simply because all 16:9 content plays with black bars at the top and bottom even though im running it on a 16:9 tv set to widescreen.

The player just zooms until the video reaches the left and right edges.

Theres a good discussion on it here including some gordion knot techniques for hardware players

http://www.gooddvdstuff.com/kissdvd/viewtopic.php?t=862

[Zhnujm]

Originally posted by len0x
So for your player avi has to be always letterboxed if it is widescreen, right ? Which player is it btw ?


If it is widescreen (anamorphic) i have to resize it to a letterboxed resolution, or leave it and watch it on my 16:9 TV :) But its not necessary to include the black bars, you can crop them away.
I have now a Yamada DVX6100 (ESS Chipset), but it was the same with my elta 8882 (Sigma Chipset).

[len0x]

Originally posted by Zhnujm
But its not necessary to include the black bars, you can crop them away.

But you said previously that you can't play it properly if it's not DVD DAR...

[len0x]

Originally posted by zag2me
Iv been campaigning for a verticle zoom function, simply because all 16:9 content plays with black bars at the top and bottom even though im running it on a 16:9 tv set to widescreen.


You mean it's distorted or it's just 2.35 ratio ?

[zag2me]

It does not look too distorted but it is not 16:9, I think it has something to do with the pixels on a tv being thinner than on a computer monitor.

[Zhnujm]

Originally posted by len0x
But you said previously that you can't play it properly if it's not DVD DAR...

No,no not DAR, PAR.
Lets say we have a 2.35:1 DVD PAL, you would crop 128 pixels top and bottom. Gknot suggest 720x288 pixels to correct the PAR to 1:1 for Square pixels on a pc monitor, just like everybody would do it.
But for playback on my player it has to be 720x320, so only cropping the pixels without PAR correction. Thats of course wrong, every usual avi file is not played back correctly with my player at this time, the vertical size is much to small.
But it seems the firmware is in early beta stage, so i think it will be fixed. (theres even no fullscreen playback for resolutions below 720xXXX)