Windows Movie Maker Fill Screen

[Spottedfeather]

I have never made a dvd before, so I have a question. I have seasons of a show that I want to make a dvd of. The first file, as is most of the files, is 352 by 240. If I burn a dvd of a file this size, will it fill the screen of a 4:3 tv or fit in the correct 4:3 ratio, the image going from top to bottom with the bars on the sides, of a 16:9 screen ?

 

[mitchell65]

Hi Spottedfeather, we meet again.
Exactly what are you asking as what you say happens is perfectly correct. You can make a 4x3 aspect video fit a widescreen 16x9 but it will either look distorted or or will loose some of the top and bottom if you maintain the aspect ratio. As you source clips are already small this will cause a loss of quality as you will have to zoom in to fill the screen.

 

[Spottedfeather]

Alright, but how do I get a 4:3 aspect video to go from top to bottom on a screen and how do I get a 16:9 video to fill a 16:9 screen and fit, bars on top and bottom, a 4:3 tv ?

 

[mitchell65]

Alright, but how do I get a 4:3 aspect video to go from top to bottom on a screen and how do I get a 16:9 video to fill a 16:9 screen and fit, bars on top and bottom, a 4:3 tv ?

You will need a good video editing program. One of the easiest to use IMHO is Corel Video Studio x3. You can download a trial version of this, just Google it!
You need to use the overlay tracks and use the distortfacility. Happy to help with this if you take this route but bear in mind my post above, your clips are small so will never look really good filling a big screen!

 

[hawkin90]

Windows movie maker is such a terrible program, anything else would be better

 

[whs]

Actually it works very well with Windows Live Movie Maker. All you do is set the aspect ratio correctly before you save the movie,

 

[mitchell65]

Like all software, some people love it, some people hate it. I just find the Corel so much easier to use ans as a bought program it does offer me the sort of effects, transitions and moe sophisticated facilities that I need. But then I do a lot of Video Editing. Lets see what spottedfeather wants to do with his finished Video then we can see what will suit him best!

 

[whs]

Like all software, some people love it, some people hate it. I just find the Corel so much easier to use ans as a bought program it does offer me the sort of effects, transitions and moe sophisticated facilities that I need. But then I do a lot of Video Editing. Lets see what spottedfeather wants to do with his finished Video then we can see what will suit him best!

mitch, I never tried Corel Video Studio, but maybe I should because I do a fair amount of video work too. I responded mainly because hawkin90 took an extreme position on WMM. I think WLMM is a lot better in many aspects although it is ashame that they put away with the timeline.

 

[mitchell65]

mitch, I never tried Corel Video Studio, but maybe I should because I do a fair amount of video work too. I responded mainly because hawkin90 took an extreme position on WMM. I think WLMM is a lot better in many aspects although it is ashame that they put away with the timeline.

Hi Wolfgang
Have PM'd you regarding Corel products as this is going off Topic and we are discussing 3rd Party Software. Should hate to get in trouble with Admin as I have a clean sheet in that dept. at the moment which is, I have to say, quite a novelty for me!

 

[whs]

Thanks Mitch. I will be on the lookout for the PM - did not se it yet.

 

[mitchell65]

Thanks Mitch. I will be on the lookout for the PM - did not se it yet.

No I type slow and the cat wanted her dinner!!!
Have done it now!

 

[whs]

Hi Mitch, I did send you an answer but I am not sure whether you'll get it since I accidently had lost your initial PM.

 

[mitchell65]

Yes got the message fine.

 

[Spottedfeather]

Actually it works very well with Windows Live Movie Maker. All you do is set the aspect ratio correctly before you save the movie,

If I do that, and set the aspect to 4:3, will the square picture go from top to bottom with the black bars on the sides of a widescreen ? And will it fill a normal 4:3 tv ?

 

[whs]

Actually it works very well with Windows Live Movie Maker. All you do is set the aspect ratio correctly before you save the movie,

If I do that, and set the aspect to 4:3, will the square picture go from top to bottom with the black bars on the sides of a widescreen ? And will it fill a normal 4:3 tv ?

That will depend on the aspect ratio of your TV.

 

[Spottedfeather]

So, if I set the aspect in Windows DVD Maker to 4:3, the file will fill the screen ? What about if I burn a dvd with the aspect to 16:9 ?

 

[mitchell65]

So, if I set the aspect in Windows DVD Maker to 4:3, the file will fill the screen ? What about if I burn a dvd with the aspect to 16:9 ?

1.Setting to 4:3 should fill the screen, but try it to make sure!
2.Then you will get black bars at the top and bottom of a 4:3 screen!

 

[Spottedfeather]

Maybe I should straighten this out. The files are 4:3 tv shows. In the info, it says they're 352x240. That's not 4:3, is it ? On one set of files, the 4:3 square goes from top to bottom. On the other set of files, the same 352x240 square has a slight bar on top and bottom and larger bars on the sides. This second set of files appears to be a 4:3 image that's been pillarboxed. This is when they are played in Windows Media Player. If I play the second set of files on Divxplayer, the 4:3 image goes from top to bottom slightly more, but it also a little squished in on the sides.

I just checked in Windows DVD Maker, and the preview window is widescreen. When I play the files in the preview window, the video appears to go from top to bottom. I think that maybe the files appear wonky because of the programs they're played in. Do you think that if I burn a dvd with them that they'll appear like they do in the preview window in Windows DVD Maker ?

 

[mitchell65]

Maybe I should straighten this out. The files are 4:3 tv shows. In the info, it says they're 352x240. That's not 4:3, is it ?
Don't worry about that, there is a facility called "Unsquare pixel rendering" that takes care of the difference. That's why PAL standard is 720x576 but NTSC which is your area is 720x476
On one set of files, the 4:3 square goes from top to bottom. On the other set of files, the same 352x240 square has a slight bar on top and bottom and larger bars on the sides.
WHat format are they files?
This second set of files appears to be a 4:3 image that's been pillarboxed. This is when they are played in Windows Media Player. If I play the second set of files on Divxplayer, the 4:3 image goes from top to bottom slightly more, but it also a little squished in on the sides.

I just checked in Windows DVD Maker, and the preview window is widescreen.
What have you got the Options set to?
When I play the files in the preview window, the video appears to go from top to bottom. I think that maybe the files appear wonky because of the programs they're played in.
Remember that is a Preview it does not signify what the final DVD will look like
Do you think that if I burn a dvd with them that they'll appear like they do in the preview window in Windows DVD Maker ?
Best answer to that is get some DVD R+W discs and test everything. Be aware though that these files are small, they will not produce a good quality DVD that you can view on a TV. "You can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear" as they say!
Also if the originals are 4:3 they will not make widescreen videos!

Thought it easier to answer each bit! Hpe this helps.
Finally the best advice I can give is Trial and Errror!

 

[mitchell65]

Hi Spottedfeather
Have just re-read your previous thread headed "Video Editor" and that remains unresolved really as you do not have any DVD's to try. I really think that unless you have a couple of DVD R+W discs we will keep going round and round in circles here. If you would like to shorten one of your clips again, host it as you did before and send me the link to download it I will happily have a look at it and report back. Then you will have an easy to follow workflow that will achieve the best you can get from your clips. BTW did you download the trial version of the Video Editor I suggested to you?