16:9 non HD

[cristoforo]

If somebody wants this video format would I just output to720x405 (pixel aspect 1.0) to play on a PAL system or should I leave 720x576 and change the pixel aspect? I read somewhere about using 854x480.....but wouldn't this image by cropped on a PAL system? Thanks.

[joconnell]

If you're taking into account pixel aspect ratio, 720 x 405 is okay for a computer with a pixel aspect of 1.0 - if you're outputting for a television you use 720 x 576 with a pixel aspect of 1.422 or if you want to put a 16:9 picture into a 4:3 picture with a crop bar, use 720 x 432 which takes into account pals 1.06667 pixel aspect.

[crazy homeless guy]

ya, i am trying to do a NTSC 16:9 right now, and have been struggling a little with the settings.

i have been trying to render out of max at 720x420 with a 1.2 pixel aspect ratio, then into photoshop, then aftereffects, then premiere, from premiere i will eventually go to encore. i ahve written a couple of test DVD's out of premiere, and have been very unhappy with the image. i am wondering if i should render at 864x420 out of max, and adjust the pixel aspect ratio in aftereffect or photoshop?

i guess part of the reason i am asking is that the pixel aspect ratio always seems jacked by the time i open the image in photoshop. photoshop does not seem to recognize it properly.

sorry to thread jack, but i thought the question was similar.

[Da_elf]

it was me who mentioned 854x480. I render at that then keep my entire pipeline at that size right up untill i compress my mpeg2 for dvd which then will squeeze everything down to 720x480 animorphic. Im just picky that way. if you render 720x480 animorphic in max and keep it non-square pixels right up untill going to dvd then from the tests i did your not loosing any quality. however like you said you gotta worry about all sorts of crappy things like photoshop elements and all that. i prefer to keep things square pixels as long as i can just for the convenience. however A: my render times are higher due to larger image and B: my file sizes are larger. but i look at both of those factors as negligable really. lately ive been going with 2.35:1 ratio and keep my width at 854 yet get less vertical pixels to render. in AE i will use a 854x480 comp size just to keep the needed 16:9 ratio needed for DVD and add in small letterboxes of my own.