Encore suddenly transcoding DVDs with video image cropped on all sides

[Dan Glen]

No matter how I set up the quality presets this is the result.  This has never been an issue in the past.  I am working with a 4k MOV file.  The menu is always fullscreen.

[Stan Jones]

I don't know how you are getting this. Format MPEG2-DVD, Preset - any one of the WIDE options.  

If that's not it, please post a screenshot of the sequence settings (is it coming from Premiere Pro?) and of the export settings.

Stan

[Dan Glen]

Hi Stan,

I am not using Premiere for the edit.  I have exported an Apple Prores 422 MOV file out of Final Cut Pro X and importing that as an asset into Encore.  Because I need to produce both DVD and Bluray for someclients, I have always created the Encore project and exported it into both formats.

Source - 3840x2160 (1.0) 23.976fps, progressive Apple ProRess 422 8bpc

In Encore I begin the project as a Bluray wiyth default settings and here is a screen shot of the timeline settings

I see that the aspect ratio is wrong but greyed out... the quality preset was certainly not set this way.  The Bluray printed from the same sequence had no issues with aspect ratio.

[neil wilkes]

This looks like a very old-fashioned result - 16:9 in a 4:3 frame.

Can you please let me know the following, so I can try to diagnose for you?

1 - Version of Premiere/AME you are using?

2 - The exact source file details

3 - Your sequence details in Premiere

4 - Your render/export settings in full - a screenshot would be preferable

In summary,, what has happened here is the result of either a bug in the system resulting in your widescreen footage being put in a full frame (ie 4:3) sequence, or else a mismatch somewhere in your project and settings - the latter being the most likely. It should be solvable.

[Dan Glen]

Hi Neil,

I am editing on Final Cut Pro X and producing an AppleProRes 422 3840x2160 which i imported as an asset into Encore.  I have been transcoding through Encore.  Here is a screen shot of the quality preset I used on my latest failed attempt.

[Dan Glen]

After running another test I see that the timeline is changed from 16x9 to 4x3 despite the quality preset.

[Stan Jones]

Your response to Neil looks okay. Just set the left hand "source scaling" to Scale to Fill and it will remove the think black bars on left and right. Is it not transcoding correctly from that point?

I could not see the original TV picture well, so couldn't see how far off you were.

Stan

[Dan Glen]

This is what the Encore monitor shows after writing a disc file.  It seems to scale the DVD dimensions into the 1080 timeline.  The thin lines are only a concern if the image becomes stretched.  Is it possible that Encore does not understand 4k assets when creating DVDs?

[Dan Glen]

After transcoding the 4K file into a 1920x1080 Apple ProRes 422 file I used the exact same settings and have no issues a cropped image.

So I believe that the issue is that Encore does not work well with creating DVDs out of 4k ProRes assets.  

[Media Editor]

Cyberlink Power2Go 13 has a free demo.  If you convert your video to 1920 x 1080(H.264) in Premiere, you can burn the video to AVCHD format on a DVD disc.  You can burn  approximately 25 minutes.  The quality is as good as Blu-ray.  It will only play on a Blu-ray player.

[Dan Glen]

Thanks Michael,

I will need space for atleast an hour of footage, though.

[neil wilkes]

Cyberlink Power2Go 13 has a free demo.  If you convert your video to 1920 x 1080(H.264) in Premiere, you can burn the video to AVCHD format on a DVD disc.  You can burn  approximately 25 minutes.  The quality is as good as Blu-ray.  It will only play on a Blu-ray player.

Not strictly true - it will play on SOME blu-ray players.

Remember this is a non standard & non compliant format.

[Stan Jones · Accepted solution]

Yes, Encore is transcoding it wrong. Even with settings for widescreen, when starting from a 3840x2160, it transcodes to a 4:3 720x480. I set the menu to 16:9, the file imports as a 16:9 timeline. But once transcoded, the timeline now whos as 4:3. And the m2v shows in Media Info as 4:3. And the video played back on the DVD (for me a folder via  PowerDVD) as yours does (cropped on all sides).

Most of us prefer transcoding before getting to Encore, so I'm only a little surpised that this has not been an issue previously. 

Anyone see a way to get Encore to do this correctly?

Bottom line, just export your final DVD files before bringing into Encore.

Stan

[cvid01]

Imported the raw 4K video into an Encore project set for DVD. What I then did was to right click on the untranscoded 4K video in Encore, to see the transcoding settings menu, wherein I clicked on the edit setting to change the ratio from 4:3 to widescreen. Saved the new setting, and then transcoded the video. It seemed to do the trick. Built the video to an ISO image and it looked OK in VLC; it was in widescreen mode.

[Stan Jones]

Check the actual m2v transcode in the Encore Sources/Transcodes folder. It looks widescreen, but it is cropped on all sides. I could not see it well in VLC unless I had a menu.

Stan

[cvid01]

I think you're right. I used a 4k image which I downloaded. The site said 4k, but upon further checking it was 720p. Duh. Should have checked earlier.

[Dan Glen]

The sudden change was I started working with 4K assets.  Thanks for your help!

[Stan Jones]

We may have all learned something here. I am still amazed that Encore changed the timeline from 16:9 to 4:3 upon transcode.

Stan