[mythtv-users] transcoding widescreen recordings

[Michael T. Dean]

On 03/21/2008 03:05 PM, Steve Peters - Priority Electronics wrote:
> Hello, i'm using the pvr-500 in my mythbox, and I get a few hd 
> channels via my cable box. Currently,  i record those channels and get 
> nice and useless black bars at the top and bottom of the mpeg files. 
> Does anyone know how to remove that? I know it's only an SD recording, 
> but sometimes, there are some good shows on hd only channels.

You can set your cable/satellite box to not send the black bars (i.e. 
send a "widescreen" output) and then you won't waste those precious few 
lines you have available in NTSC/PAL.  Of course, this assumes that he 
who controls your cable/satellite box deemed it necessary to offer you 
this option (though most all I've seen do).

I'm pretty sure ivtv supports Widescreen Signalling, so if your STB uses 
it properly, Myth can be made to "know" whether it's a widescreen video 
or not.  This isn't to say Myth doesn't support it--I don't know if it 
does; I've never looked, but if it just works for you, that's a /much/ 
simpler test than digging through code.  (However, it sounds like you'd 
prefer for Myth to think everything is 4:3 because you want everything 
stretched, so even if Myth overrides the WSS information, it will likely 
"just work" for you.)

> I want to remove the bars, then transcode my recordings, or have the 
> bars removed in the transcoding.
>  
> I'm pretty sure that my cable box does not send the bars with the 
> composite signal, because when i plug the composite cable into my tv 
> directly, the black bars are now gray bars.
>  
> What do you guys do with those bars?

I pulled my PVR-x50's out and replaced them with HD-3000's.  For those 
things with bars (whether letterboxed 2.39:1 movies or pillarboxed 4:3 
content), I leave them.  I won't stretch the content as I don't care to 
watch shorter/fatter versions of actors (nor would I want to watch 
taller/thinner versions of them).  They take up almost no space in the 
compressed recording, so they're harmless.

Mike