[mythtv-users] HDPVR HD Recordings are in 4:3 format

[Michael T. Dean]

On 12/13/2013 12:07 AM, Karl Newman wrote:
> On Thu, Dec 12, 2013 at 7:16 PM, Michael T. Dean wrote:
>
>> On 12/12/2013 08:05 PM, Karl Newman wrote:
>>
>>> On Thu, Dec 12, 2013 at 12:36 PM, Michael T. Dean wrote:
>>>
>>>   FWIW, there is no reason anyone in the world should ever set the Video
>>>> Aspect Override setting--except for the never-gonna-exist-in-reality
>>>> person
>>>> who has 100% of all video sources providing incorrectly-encoded video
>>>> that
>>>> gives the wrong aspect ratio information, or you've misconfigured X such
>>>> that it's telling MythTV the display is using some incorrect aspect.
>>>>
>>> I have to use the Video Aspect Override setting to force my 4:3 videos
>>>
>>> recorded on a PVR500 to display correctly on my 4:3 CRT SDTV because it's
>>> passing through an HDMI->Composite converter that is accepting a 720p
>>> signal. (Without the override they are squashed horizontally). I tried
>>> other video mode settings in X (thoroughly) but the aspect was still wrong
>>> so this is what I stuck with. It causes no other issues for us, though, so
>>> it's no problem.
>>>
>> This sounds like you have your recording profile set up to use 4:3 but are
>> sending 16:9 to the PVR-500, so you've been using the "ignore the
>> recording's specified bitrate" to work around the fact that you're encoding
>> it incorrectly (i.e. 2 wrongs to make a right).  It should also mean that
>> any properly-encoded widescreen video will display incorrectly on your
>> system.
>>
> No, the PVR-500 is still recording 4:3.

That doesn't seem to be what you're saying, below.

>   This problem only occurred when I
> switched hardware such that I no longer had a native TV-out and had to use
> the HDMI->Composite converter. I'm not sure if the default HDMI EDID modes
> even have a 4:3 option (but it doesn't really matter because the 720p looks
> best with this converter).

If the converter is doing 720p output, why do you say the PVR-500 is 
recording 4:3?  I've never seen 1280x720 video (pixel aspect ratio of 
16:9) marked with a display aspect ratio of 4:3--and the Composite cable 
doesn't even support carrying aspect information (with the exception of 
the wide-screen signalling (WSS) flag--but I think that's only even 
used/recognized in a very small number of areas in the world, and not by 
MythTV).  If it's really 720p output, it's almost definitely 16:9 
format.  Now, it's possible that your STB is outputting 4:3 and your 
converter is stretching the 4:3 input to 16:9 (making people short and 
fat/making circles into horizontal ellipses) and breaking the aspect 
ratio or that your STB is stretching the 4:3 to 16:9, at which point 
recording as 4:3 would "unstretch" the video and put it back to the 
right aspect (another 2 wrongs to make a right--but only if the video is 
output at 4:3, as it would break if you ever sent out 16:9 widescreen 
from the STB--but in this case, the 2 wrongs may actually be the best 
option if you have to use a 720p (versus a proper 4:3) output from the 
converter), but you really need to give information on the configuration 
of the inputs and outputs of all the pieces that handle the video for me 
to know exactly what's going on.

>   Anyway, it's strictly a display issue because it
> happens with old recordings as well.

Well, if that's the case, then you have X misconfigured and you're 
abusing the "Video aspect override" setting to make it appear 
correctly--the 2 wrongs to make a right approach.  See 
http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Display_Size  (Or you have Xinerama enabled 
and your "Monitor aspect ratio" setting is incorrect.)

FWIW, one of these 2 issues is almost definitely the problem the OP, 
Scott, is facing, also.

>   I don't record any 16:9 content, but
> some DVD rips do display incorrectly (16:9 fills the screen when it should
> be letterboxed instead). We use videos infrequently, though, and it doesn't
> really bother us. The problem will go away when we buy a new TV, but we're
> not in any hurry...

Still, the "Video aspect override" setting is /always/ saying to ignore 
the display aspect ratio encoded in the video and to use the one you've 
selected, instead.  By definition that means that if you have to set the 
"Video aspect override" setting (on a system with a properly-configured 
X display) you have improperly-encoded video.  (And if you have to set 
the "Video aspect override" setting and you're certain the video is 
properly encoded, you have a misconfiguration of X or you have Xinerama 
enabled and you haven't told MythTV the "Monitor aspect ratio".)

The "Video aspect override" setting shouldn't exist and only provides a 
way for people with broken configurations to make it seem like things 
aren't broken without actually fixing the brokenness.  It only adds to 
confusion when users are configuring their systems, especially when it 
makes a broken configuration seem to work.

Mike