Resize squeezed 16x9 in Avid

[micaelb]

The problem is some of the video we import from Newschannel is 16x9 squeezed to 4x3. It seems like the simple fix is to add the "resize" effect and type a number into the width space...but what number? Somewhere between 122 and 132 looks right but rather then do math I thought I would ask here.
No, we don't want to have it letterboxed. It scares the producers or something...

 

[shootist]

The problem is some of the video we import from Newschannel is 16x9 squeezed to 4x3. It seems like the simple fix is to add the "resize" effect and type a number into the width space...but what number? Somewhere between 122 and 132 looks right but rather then do math I thought I would ask here.
No, we don't want to have it letterboxed. It scares the producers or something...

well...i haven't had this issue but i'll do the math for you.

your 16X9 has been squeezed to 12X9 (4X3 converted to a more convenient ratio)

so your width of "16" has been squeezed to "12".

your question now is " by what percentage do i need to increase "12" to get back to "16".

12x=16

x=1.333333

so "16" is 133% of "12"


so try 133 as your width entry and, mathematically at least, you should be good.

sound right? or has 30 years since my last math class eroded my once-mad skillz?

 

[Go Daddy]

Good.

well...i haven't had this issue but i'll do the math for you.

your 16X9 has been squeezed to 12X9 (4X3 converted to a more convenient ratio)

so your width of "16" has been squeezed to "12".

your question now is " by what percentage do i need to increase "12" to get back to "16".

12x=16

x=1.333333

so "16" is 133% of "12"


so try 133 as your width entry and, mathematically at least, you should be good.

sound right? or has 30 years since my last math class eroded my once-mad skillz?

Have no clue if you're right about that conversion but it sure sounded good.

 

[Shocker]

The math is correct. We use 133 as well. It is a pain when we have to search through everything network sends. Especially when the 16X9 video is mixed with standard video in a pkg that airs in 5 minutes.

 

[soonershooter]

Here are the quick and easy parameters for 16x9 video to 4x3:

IF YOU WANT TO CUT THE SIDES OFF:
Resize Horizontal: 133/Vertical: 100

IF YOU WANT TO LETTERBOX:
Resize Horizontal: 100/Vertical: 74
(By "Letterbox" I mean showing video in full 16x9 format WITHIN a 4x3 frame. This means you will have black bars on the top and bottom of your 4x3 frame to accomodate a wide screen in a 4x3 display field)

I'd been using the "letterbox" parameters for a few months, and recently got a chance to test them. We had received a pkg from a fellow station that was shot in 16x9. The dub they sent us had both "squeezed" versions and "letterboxed" versions. We used the letterbox version, but there was one shot with a digital glitch in it. The same shot in the "squeezed" version was clear. I simply edited in the "squeezed" version into the "letterboxed" version and dropped a resize on it--using the above parameters. It worked like a charm, and the letterbox lines (top & bottom) lined up PERFECTLY!

 

[FTOJRLST]

(and you should put a shortcut in the system so it's a quick fix everytime you do this)

BUT - My stations does it too but I hate that when we take a 4x3 feed that was originally 16x9 and resize it back to 16x9. It looks terrible, especially on larger TVs, when you stretch those pixels out of shape. It's a terrible loss of resolution.

It would be more advantagous to make all of the feeds 16x9 and shrink 4x3 media back from 16x9. NO loss of resolution.

Or even better....send your feeds in the correct aspect on the correct feeds to begin with so people on the recieving end won't have to correct it. Sheesh!

Of course tell the people in charge that.

 

[Baltimore Shooter]

Okay, along the same idea, only the reverse. How can I get footage supplied by the client that was shot and edited in 16:9 to fit into a 4:3 FCP system without looking squished?

Warren

 

[Canonman]

Okay, along the same idea, only the reverse. How can I get footage supplied by the client that was shot and edited in 16:9 to fit into a 4:3 FCP system without looking squished?

Warren

Your only option is to crop the sides of the 16:9 or letterbox it. With FCP, it will often see the source footage is 16:9 and will letterbox it if you drop it into a 4:3 sequence.

The thing is, in SD video, even 16:9 has a horizontal pixel count of 720. It's the aspect ratio that gets changed. As was mentioned above, the horizontal pixels get stretched to 1.33X to for the 16:9 ratio. The problem is, whatever you are using, be it an NLE, or display, it has to see the 'anamorphic flag' that's buried in the video stream or you'll simply see squished video.

So part of the answer to your question Warren is whether or not the video is shot in HD, where it has a real 16:9 ratio, or whether it's widescreen SD.

cm

 

[Xchroma]

Doesn't AVID have an anamorphic button? That would seem lame if it doesnt. FCP has it and is supposedly a lower end machine.

 

[Xchroma]

By the way, sending it squished is the proper way to send it IMO. Now that most stations have gone HD 16X9.