Newbie Question re:Black Bars using Nero Digital

[Alyus]

Bear with me this is my first experience encoding/recoding..
I've been trying to recode to nero digital my recorded tv shows using
recode 2. (Shows recorded w/a Hauppauge 250) I get black bars around the picture no matter what my resize/crop settings are. However, this also occurs when I try to back up a dvd.
I have emailed a nero tech and he looked at some screen shots and said maybe I needed to try switching the aspect ratio setting. However I can't find where to do this and he hasn't responded with an answer yet.
I appologize if the answer is staring me in the face and I've overlooked something obvious.
I appreciate your help

Alyus

[SeeMoreDigital]

Sounds like your Hauppauge 250 is capturing 4:3 content complete with hard coded black mattes within a 16:9 DAR frame.... Like this: -

http://img219.echo.cx/img219/9254/43over1698ha.png

The mattes have been shown in blue on purpose!

EDIT: Can you provide a still image from your source. You can use ImageShack (http://www.imageshack.us/) to upload your image.


Cheers

[Alyus]

I'll do that as soon as I get home tonight. The only question I have is why would it do this with dvd's also?
EDIT: probably not the only question :)
thanks,
Alyus

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by Alyus
The only question I have is why would it do this with dvd's also?
Recode2 shouldn't... so it could be your Recode2 settings after-all.


Cheers

[Alyus]

Actually the dvd I had tried previously was made by one of those companys that makes them for weddings and memorial services. You may be on to something..I just tried a regular dvd and nero worked flawlessly (no black borders). However I took a screenshot from Zoom Plyr with aspect ratio set to source and this is what I get:

http://img99.echo.cx/my.php?image=shot18ao.png

Would we see blue on the sides? What should I try next?

Thanks for your time!
Alyus

[SeeMoreDigital]

From the image you posted I can see no hard coded black mattes... So you should be able to generate 4:3 encodes!

As you are an NTSC, user you have the option of generating a 640x480 square pixelled encode by "resizing" from your 720x480 source.


Cheers

[namchik]

Alyus,
Did you check "Enable letterboxing" in Recode's settings (on "Resize" page)?

[Alyus]

Thank you guys. Enabling Letterbox and 640 x 480 worked nicely. I must not have tried that particular configuration.
The file I got to work was orginally a 720x480. If I play it in zoom player it plays with bars above and below the video. However when I recode it at 720 x 480 (with or with out the letterboxing option) I get bars on the sides as well. Why does this happen?

Alyus

[Alyus]

I have a working solution, I appreciate all your guys/girls' help.
Alyus