Hi

I have a question I think I know the answer to but would like to check.

If you compare this advert that I have recorded, to this advert I have recorded and converted on the same equipment, can someone confirm why the first is full screen and the second has black bars?

Is it down to the broadcaster? The first one was Sky3, the latter, ITV2. I guess it's down to some aspect ratio? If so, can I compensate for it somehow when converting?

If someone could confirm this for me, I'd be very happy

From the look of it the first one is being displayed 4:3 aspect ratio where it should be 16:9. If you notice the people in it are a bit tall and thin. As broadcast both 4:3 and 16:9 use the same aspect ratio.

A 16:9 image is shrunk horizontally to fit into a 4:3 frame. On reception a widescreen telly stretches the image out again to 16:9. But if you display it raw on a 4:3 telly everything looks tall and thin.

The second image is a 16:9 picture letterboxed into a 4:3 frame. Hence the black bars top and bottom. This being one of the ways to display a 16:9 image on a 4;3 TV. Basically it shrinks the 16:9 image down so it fits horizontally and adds black bars top and bottom to fill the frame.

The other option is to display just the central portion of the 16:9 image full screen on the TV. Or some set top boxes can display it as 14:9 which chops a bit off the edges but has narrower bars top and bottom.

As to why they are different is anyone's guess. If you have lifted the raw files from a PVR then both should be the same. Unless whatever you have used to convert them has seen the widescreen flag in the second recording but not in the first?

I see, thankyou.


I used ULead VideoStudio to basically chop the adverts out and then convert to MPG. I use the exact same settings and import the video from the PVR directly.

So it's down to the broadcaster broadcasting in either 16:9 or 4:3 basically? As I say, they are different channels in the examples shown.

If you were to record BBC News and process it with ULead what does it look like? ie do you get a full screen 4:3 image with tall thin people like clip 1 or a letterboxed image like clip 2?

BBC News is pretty much fixed 16:9 so you don't get any problems with aspect ratio switching. Unlike most of the other channels including Sky 3 and ITV 2 which can transmit a mix of 4:3 and 16:9. But both of these channels are likely to transmit the ads in 16:9 even if the surrounding programmme is 4:3. So a widescreen Tv is continually switching aspect ratio.

Hmm, good question. I never record BBC as they don't show adverts I'll try it later. Thanks for the info, I am getting a good understanding of how it all works!

I think the significant difference is the resolution used.

I take it your are using Freeview as your source. I'm fairly certain Sky3 broadcasts at full PAL resolution (720x576) whereas ITV2 broadcasts at 3/4 resolution (540x576).

ULead is presumably handling these two resolutions differently. Both are anamorphic widescreen and should be stretched to fill a 16:9 TV.

Interesting... I was using Freeview, I now have VM which I haven't recorded from yet. I have looked at ULead's options, but I can't find anything which appears to be able to deal with this issue.

TBH, I'll stick with Sky3 then, full screen looks better IMO!

You could be right. Must admit at first sight it did look like clip 2 was a letterboxed image.

Found this webpage that lists the bitrates and resolutions on DTT and according to this Sky 3 is full res and ITV2 is reduced as you say.

http://dtt.me.uk/

Great, nice link. Funny how ITV2 is reduced, whereas ITV2+1 is fullscreen!!

But X-Factor still looks crap no matter what resolution you use

Unless Holly Willoughby is presenting

Nice to know that bit of info about BBC News, just wish SK News would do the same, everytime they use footage from some other network it plays havoc with our TV's aspect ratio switching. On the Hitachi in auto mode some Sky News footage is displayed properly as 16:9, but the external media footage from other networks can result in the set switching to 16:9L (letterbox), Panoramic, or 14:9L, with some nasty looking results. Our Panasonic drops any odd ratios to 4:3 letterbox then after a halfsecond delay zooms it out to fullscreen, startling at times! Never have this problem on ITV either!

What the beeb seem to like doing is pillarboxing 4;3 material into a 16:9 frame if it's a short(ish) insert. Means there is no aspect ratio switching, though it probably looks a bit naff on a 4:3 TV set to letterbox mode.

They do it quite often on BBC1 during sports programmes. If the main event is 16:9 and they cut to an event provided by another broadcaster in 4:3 then they won't switch aspect ratio but pillarbox the other feed and stay in 16:9.