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TacoRye
Known Participant
December 20, 2016
Question

Video transmit to external monitor - aspect ratio issues

  • December 20, 2016
  • 3 replies
  • 5344 views

Hello all

Just updated to 2017.  While working with an edit ratio of 30:9, video out to an external monitor via Blackmagic Ultrastudio, the image is squeezed to fit the 16:9 monitor. 

This does not happen in Davinci Resolve or other programs. 

Is there a way to make it appear letterboxed?

Thanks!

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    3 replies

    T
    TacoRyeAuthor
    Known Participant
    March 1, 2017

    I haven't found any solutions to this issue.  

    Are you able to view non 16x9 content correctly on your external monitors?

    From my testing, it seems to be a limitation of Premiere Pro transmit, than an issue with the I/O card.

    Thanks!

    Ryan

    M
    MOTORfilms
    Participant
    July 18, 2017

    I have the same issue. The timeline (3840x1607) (2,37:1) looks squeezed in the external monitor which is 3840x2160 (16:9). It looks like Adobe Premiere is not capable of letter boxing the signal in order to preserve the correct aspect ratio.

    I have the BM DeckLink Mini Monitor 4K to output the signal. It works great with DaVinci Resolve or even with AVID MC, but not with Premiere Pro.

    On top of that, the Adobe Support chat is a JOKE. No one knows what I'm talking about, they barely speaks English but the keeps saying the the problem is in the monitor, and that I should contact the monitor's support...

    If DaVinci Resolve starts working properly on editing... here's a switcher.

    R Neil Haugen
    R Neil Haugen
    Legend
    July 18, 2017

    For anything in the help/chat system, ALWAYS ask for the Video Queue when you first get a live person on the other end. Other than that, you get generalist help ... which may not be helpful. Product Support Manager Kevin Monahan stresses this so often.

    If you've read up the chain, your situation is actually answered rather well. PrPro doesn't have setup parameter options as Avid & Resolve have, true ... but it sends out exactly what you have on the sequence. Period.

    BM has very limited options for their gear, as explicitly stated above: their only ratios available are a few they consider "broadcast standards". So your BM gear is taking that video signal and smooshing it into what BM sees as an appropriate aspect ratio. So that BM gear is altering the PrPro sent signal.

    At this point you get engineers arguing. BM engineers don't see a need to provide "non-broadcast standard" capabilities to their gear. PrPro engineers feel they're sending out directly what's on the timeline, the outboard gear should just respect that. The BM engineers don't give a rat's tail-end about it.

    And to sweeten things, Avid & Resolve help you get around the limitations of the BlackMagic units. Premiere Pro doesn't.

    My understanding from attending NABs is that BM's rigid lack of options is a great selling point for the AJA and Kona gear, that theirs often has more options. (And often, other price-points as well.)

    Neil

    Everyone's mileage always varies ...
      T
      TacoRyeAuthor
      Known Participant
      February 9, 2017

      Thanks for your reply and your time.

      The delivery was 30:9 for a custom video wall.  I forget the exact pixel count.  A crop of the full 6k image got us this ratio.

      The issue arose when I tried to playback 6k 2.4:1 (source) in the edit suite, the client reference monitor (1920x1080 connected via BM Intensity) would squeeze the image to fit. Which is not ideal.  Resolve would letterbox it (as seen via ref monitor), but premiere wouldn't. 

      I wasn't trying to play it back at 30:9, but 2.4:1.  I should have mentioned that previously. 

      The only settings I have for the intensity are (see screenshot)

      -- Are there better video I/O cards I should be using?

      Cheers,

      Ryan

      shooternz
      shooternz
      Legend
      February 9, 2017

      WIN 10 

      Do you not have the BM Control Panel that should be part of the  Desktop Video Driver Package

      (Black Magic Program Files?)

      The CP is far more comprehensive than the Device Selection Panel you are showing me.

      T
      TacoRyeAuthor
      Known Participant
      February 9, 2017

      These are the options I have on the Mac via Desktop video Preferences. 

      kulpreet singh
      kulpreet singh
      Inspiring
      December 21, 2016

      Hi TacoRye,

      Do you have the latest drivers installed?

      Blackmagic Design: UltraStudio Thunderbolt™

      Thanks,

      Kulpreet Singh

      T
      TacoRyeAuthor
      Known Participant
      January 10, 2017

      Thanks for the reply, I will have to try that update on the Ultrastudio.  However, it does the same thing on BM Intensity Pro via HDMI to external monitor on driver 10.8.

      I noticed when I tell video out to be a computer monitor, it is letterboxed correctly.

      Does it work properly for you via BM ultra?

      Thanks again!

      - Ryan

      E
      excited_Genie16B8
      Legend
      January 10, 2017

      To the best of my knowledge, Mercury Transmit is designed in such a way that all it does is send the signal to the hardware device unaltered.  It is up to that hardware/driver to apply tings like deinterlacing, scaling, pulldown and any aspect ratio conversions.

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