Converting 4x3 to Widescreen

2 replies [Last post]
Roger Maytum
Offline
Joined: Apr 7 1999

Is there anything on the market (perhaps a plug-in) that will convert the 4x3 format to Widescreen without distorting the original? Thanks!

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Roger Maytum

Roger Maytum

gulli
Offline
Joined: Apr 12 1999

This is not possible to do, when movies are converted the other way around (widescreen to 4:3), almost 1/3 of the image is lost (1/6 on each side), sometimes even more. To convert a 4:3 to widescreen without distorting the original you'd have to recreate the missing 3rd (pretty tough one!)

There's one way to get around it, you could blank out or cut out the top and the bottom part of your video until you have the correct aspect ratio. For this to work the original would have to be shot with this in mind or you're most likely to chop off a few heads and feet.

Gulli

PS. If I'm wrong I'd really like to know!

andy_winton
Offline
Joined: Jul 6 1999

Dunno if this'll help...

I've got a Hi8 camera that can be put
in '16x9' mode. (Internally it probably
just uses less of the CCD chip) Through
the view finder (which is 4x3) everything
is squished. But put this through a
widescreen TV in 'wide' mode and it's
spot on.

I guess the whole thing could be captured
and edited in 4x3 (to get the highest
possible quality). Then convert at the
end to the letterbox. (guess you just
load up the video in Media Studio or
Premiere to do this)

I don't know why noone uses the 'wide'
mode for video tape. Almost all wide
screen films use a letterbox or some form
of border and you need to use the TV
'zoom' function, thus losing some quality.

Ah well,

fun,

andy

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Andy Winton
(see my Video at idlechild.net)