Movie On Dvd Cut Off On Sides

[Grritz]

I'm a Toast newbie and don't know how/where to fix this: When I record a wide format film to DVD, it plays on my DVD player/TV with the edges cut off. I've tried adjusting aspect ratio but that doesn't seem to make a difference. I'm lost. Any help appreciated.

[tsantee]

That sounds like the overscan built into the TV. It can range from 5% to 15% depending on the TV.

[Grritz]

That sounds like the overscan built into the TV. It can range from 5% to 15% depending on the TV.

 

Tsantee: I don't think so...this is REALLY cut off...I think even more than 15%. I can take a look at how it compares with viewing it on the same TV through my iPhone...then get back to you. I suspect it's something else entirely but your suggestion is worth checking out.

 

Thanks.

 

Ed

[Grritz]

Did the test on TV and the movie does NOT cut off when played through iPhone. However, playing the DVD on both laptop and desktop Macs shows that it does NOT cut off when played through Apple DVD player. So, this is confusing: why does movie on DVD cut off on the TV only?

 

One other note: video quality seems to fall off considerably when played from the Toasted DVD. Can you offer suggestions on how to get highest possible quality?

 

Thanks.

 

Ed

[theoldarchiver]

Did the test on TV and the movie does NOT cut off when played through iPhone. However, playing the DVD on both laptop and desktop Macs shows that it does NOT cut off when played through Apple DVD player. So, this is confusing: why does movie on DVD cut off on the TV only?

Is it possible that your set top DVD player is set to "Pan & Scan" for 16:9 sources and set to be connected to a 4:3 tv? If so, that would act as an instruction to cut off the sides, zooming in to fill the screen vertically (for 16:9; not 2.35:1).

 

[tsantee]

One other note: video quality seems to fall off considerably when played from the Toasted DVD. Can you offer suggestions on how to get highest possible quality?

 

Thanks.

 

Ed

It'll help if I know the specs of the source video so I can tell how much different that is from the DVD created by Toast. If it is a high definition source then there certainly will be loss of quality when it is encoded to a standard definition DVD. But it still should look pretty good. When viewing on a computer display it is necessary to view in actual size or "normal" so that the picture isn't being zoomed to fill the screen in order for the quality to look its best.

[Grritz]

Is it possible that your set top DVD player is set to "Pan & Scan" for 16:9 sources and set to be connected to a 4:3 tv? If so, that would act as an instruction to cut off the sides, zooming in to fill the screen vertically (for 16:9; not 2.35:1).

 

 

 

oldarchiver: I checked that out by placing the original DVD (from the manufacturer) into the DVD player. All is well...no sides being cut off. The ONLY time I have the cutoff problem is when I place the Toasted DVD into the player. So...other suggestions?

[theoldarchiver]

I checked that out by placing the original DVD (from the manufacturer) into the DVD player. All is well...no sides being cut off. The ONLY time I have the cutoff problem is when I place the Toasted DVD into the player.

Did you re-burn the exact VIDEO_TS folder from the original, or did you let Toast re-author the DVD? A direct copy of the VIDEO_TS folder should behave exactly the same as the original.

[Grritz]

Didn't try that. I burned the DVD from an m4v file...which I grabbed from the manufacturer DVD so I could have it on my laptop. Should I try copying/burning from the original? And what about other m4v files I have...will I have that problem with all of them?

[theoldarchiver]

Didn't try that. Should I try copying/burning from the original?

If the DVD-Video is not copy-protected, then you could try that. (If it is copy-protected, then Toast will refuse to accept the content as input.)

 

I burned the DVD from an m4v file...which I grabbed from the manufacturer DVD so I could have it on my laptop. And what about other m4v files I have...will I have that problem with all of them?

I expect all your 16:9 m4v/mp4 files encoded to DVD to play the same way (when using the same settings in Toast). That is, I believe Toast encodes every 16:9 DVD with the aspect ratio setting of "16:9 auto pan&scan and letterbox", meaning the disc will follow the preferences for 16:9-source-to-4:3-display from the settings in your set top DVD player, without forcing either 'pan&scan' or 'letterbox'.

 

I still think you ought to check the settings menu of your set top DVD player, to see how it is set for handling 16:9 content when outputting to a 4:3 device. I suppose your remote has a Settings button, which would display some sort of menu on the screen, to guide you through each setting. The setting to prevent cut-offs is probably under Video settings somewhere, but it's hard to say for sure without knowing the model and manufacturer. If you find 'Pan&Scan', then change it to 'Letterbox'.

[Grritz]

Archiver: Thanks! It looks like you've come up with the solution. I checked the manual for the DVD and I can make the adjustment...I think. Haven't been able to tear my bride away from her Sunday morning talk shows to this point but will give it a shot later today. I'll get back to you.

[Grritz]

OldArchiver: It worked! I adjusted the DVD settings as you suggested and all is good now. Thank you (and others) for all the help!