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christophm29172906
Participant
October 19, 2018
Question

4:3 aspect ratio

  • October 19, 2018
  • 1 reply
  • 22715 views

Hi, I am producing some video trailers. My client needs two versions, one with a 16:9 ratio and one 4:3 ratio. He wants the delivered files of the 4:3 version to be 1440x1080 pxl in size and he wants it to be delivered in MXF Format.

When I choose Adobe Media Encoder to encode the video to MXF I can not find any option to do that. Every codec that I have found that does MXF with the right dimensions of 1440 x 1080 pxl sets the pixel aspect ratio to anamorphotic, so, when the encoded file gets played back it is actually 16:9 and the encoded content sits in the middle with black bars left and right.

So here is the question: How can I encode a video that is made in 1440 x 1080 *square* pixels to an MXF video format that also uses square pixels, so the video will get displayed with the correct aspect ratio? Thanks, Jens

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    1 reply

    Dave_LaRonde
    Dave_LaRonde
    Inspiring
    October 19, 2018

    You'll probably have to make a custom compression preset in AME, which is easy to do.

    You'll probably have to change the  codec too.  There are many for MXF, which is just a media container.

    The biggest problem you may have is in your image layout for 4x3.  If you're taking advantage of the 16x9 aspect ratio,  you'll probably need to rearrange things for the more horizontally-constrained 4x3 aspect ratio.

    C
    christophm29172906Author
    Participant
    October 19, 2018

    Hello Dave, thank you for your answer. I actually tried to make a custom preset. I choose MXF OP1a from the format settings and than I choose one of the various video codecs..

    The first thing you notice is, that the input boxes for width and hight in pixels is grayed out. So each video-codec you can choose has predifined pixel dimensions. So the list shrinks to those codecs that default to 1440 x 1080. Than I choose one of them, i.e. XDCAMHD 25 PAL in the lower section of the basic video preferences is a pulldown for aspect ratio. But there is no choice. It defaults to HD anamorphotic 1080 (1,333) and that is the only option to choose. It can't be set to square pixels. There aren't any setting anywhere, where I could customize it to my needs.

    The biggest problem you may have is in your image layout for 4x3.  If you're taking advantage of the 16x9 aspect ratio,  you'll probably need to rearrange things for the more horizontally-constrained 4x3 aspect ratio.

    Absolutely correct. Actually all trailers have been made in 16:9 and now my client says he also wants a 4:3 version and is set up why it takes so long and is so pricey - since I need to rearrange and even rerender 3D parts to make it fit in a 4:3 layout. I asked maybe twenty times (including grafics that explain the difference between square and anamorphotic pixels) if he is really sure that he does not want just another version of the trailers but with anamorphotic pixels compressed and the definate answer was, no, we only work with square pixels internally. (...)

    I'am actually not really sure if there is a way at all to compress a 4:3 video file with HD dimensions within the MXF standard. I mined the web what I usually do when such questions arise but this seems so special, that I did not found anything. But I had hoped this forum would know.

    Dave_LaRonde
    Dave_LaRonde
    Inspiring
    October 19, 2018

    I just looked at all the MXF codecs in Adobe Media Encoder and I couldn't find a one that would do 1440x1080 square pixel.

    I think it's time for a chat with the client.

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