Removing black bars on TV shows for DVD?

[Superstar]

I put a tv show onto DVD that I downloaded, and you know how HDTV has black bars on the left and right of the picture? That's what this has, but it's not HD, because it's from 1998.

Is there anyway that I can remove those bars to get the picture in the full length of the TV screen, or is that just how the videos are?

I also meant to ask, what programs would I need to use to get rid of them?

[msgohan]

HDTV doesn't have black bars normally. I take it you have a regular TV?

You didn't tell us how you converted the files / what program you used to author the DVD. It's possible they were added at this stage. Do the files have black bars when played in a window on your computer? Post a MediaInfo log as well.

[Superstar]

No, I don't think they were put there by the the authoring program. I've used 2 different programs and still got them. Also, I just tried the file in VLC Media Player just now, and the bars were there too.

No, I have an HDTV...I guess I should've said also in movie releases on DVD, they're on those. I was just using that as an example of what the "bars" looks like.

[msgohan]

It's tough to offer suggestions without knowing the video's resolution / seeing a screenshot. You could crop the bars but if it's a 4:3 show with bars added you're going to get pillarbox bars on an HDTV regardless unless you crop or stretch the content.

[volksjager]

if the show is in 4:3(likely if from 1998) it will always have black bars when viewed on a 16:9 tv
unless you stretch the image which generally looks like crap.

[admin]

When a show is downloaded, it's never official, so you have to hope the person that created and uploaded it was not stupid. But sometimes they are, and butcher video in the process. And that's likely what happened here.

The other choices is that a network butchered the video when it was broadcast. Sadly, that's common too.

Black bars probably means a 4x3 picture was in a 16x9 matte on an HD channel. That has all sorts of other issues going on, such as how it deals with interlace, as HD is x720 or x1080 -- not x480. I'd have to see a clip of the video.

Then again, it WAS a home/hobby upload, right? That means it was likely not only deinterlaced (if needed), but also down-res'd and re-encoded into an AVI (XviD) or MP4 (x264) container

Assuming the interlace issues doesn't exist -- maybe it was deinterlaced before hand? maybe the original was progressive film? -- then you merely need to crop of the side. Make it 4x3. If going to DVD, downsize to x480 first, then make it a 640x crop (640x480 = 4x3). HD is 1:1, while SD is stored as 3x2 for 16x9 or 4x3 image. Then take the 640x480 crop and stretch it to 720x480 (or 352x480, actually, given the source lineage), to make the DVD.

Or just leave it alone and watch on a 16x9 TV.

Or just buy it if it was released. I get all of my DVDs, used and new, from Amazon.com

[Superstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by admin

Assuming the interlace issues doesn't exist -- maybe it was deinterlaced before hand? maybe the original was progressive film? -- then you merely need to crop of the side. Make it 4x3. If going to DVD, downsize to x480 first, then make it a 640x crop (640x480 = 4x3). HD is 1:1, while SD is stored as 3x2 for 16x9 or 4x3 image. Then take the 640x480 crop and stretch it to 720x480 (or 352x480, actually, given the source lineage), to make the DVD.

Or just leave it alone and watch on a 16x9 TV.

Do I need to use specific programs to do these things? This was recorded from tv in 1998, long before HD came out. However, my TV is an HDTV, so I'm not really sure how the two will mix together.

I have many of these shows to do, so whatever the easiest, fastest way to do them would be best for this.

[lordsmurf]

VirtualDub can do it, as can others (Avidemux, TMPGEnc Plus, etc).

Convert the 4x3 footage to 16x9 by adding pillarboxes -- black bars on the side. I'm doing this right now, merging a DVD release with homemade footage, to recreate a Monstervision broadcast with Joe Bob Briggs. I'm having to restore the JBB footage as well (jitter problems), but it's turning out nicely.

Video is never fast. Just give up that idea right now. I gave it up 20 years ago. This is the wrong hobby for "fast".

[Superstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordsmurf

VirtualDub can do it, as can others (Avidemux, TMPGEnc Plus, etc).

Convert the 4x3 footage to 16x9 by adding pillarboxes -- black bars on the side.

Ok..so, I do this step first...and then after this, do the rest of these in order...?

Step 1- Make it 4x3. If going to DVD, downsize to x480 first,

Step 2 - then make it a 640x crop (640x480 = 4x3). HD is 1:1, while SD is stored as 3x2 for 16x9 or 4x3 image.

Step 3 - Then take the 640x480 crop and stretch it to 720x480 (or 352x480, actually, given the source lineage), to make the DVD.

Correct?

And, to confirm, VirtualDub can do all of these steps for me?

[lordsmurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superstar

Step 1- Make it 4x3. If going to DVD, downsize to x480 first,

I thought the source was already 4x3?
The whole point is to take 16x9 widescreen and 4x3 "fullscreen" video, and create 16x9 videos that fill a 16x9 HDTV.

[Superstar]

I don't know..I've never dealt with this kinda stuff before. i guess the video files would be 4x3 then.

I was just confirming what was instructed to me, and it said make it 4x3, as I quoted in my last post...

[lordsmurf]

Post clips of the videos you want to merge. I don't want to guess.

[Superstar]

I don't have a way to post it unfortunately.

There's 2 different kinds of videos that I want to do this with. 1 kind is HD already, but it has the black bars on the left of the picture & the right of the picture. Of course, the picture is in the middle of the screen.

The other kind is not HD, but it's the same thing. Black bars (boxes) to the left, and the right of the picture.

I just don't like the black boxes and I'd like to take them out, and expand the picture to the full length of my TV screen.