Widescreen Getting Cut Off

I just made a quick 16:9 DVD disk image file with iDVD 7.0.2.

I used myDVDEdit 0.9.10 and verified that Apple designed iDVD to create 16:9 DVDs with the aspect setting set to: '16:9 auto Pan & Scan and Letterbox'

If you don't agree with that choice, submit feedback to Apple at http://www.apple.com/feedback/idvd.html

We are not discussing what happens in iDVD 7 but a bug in iDVD 6.

But never mind, I just don't think you are getting it.

It is certainly not the first time it has been reported.

We are not discussing what happens in iDVD 7 but a bug in iDVD 6.

Things worked exactly the same in iDVD 6

But never mind, I just don't think you are getting it.

Actually, I think YOU are the one 'not getting it'. I understand the NTSC issue completely

There may be other PAL related problems in iDVD 6 or 7, but the pan & scan vs letterbox issue with NTSC DVDs isn't one of them. I can guess why Apple designers made the choice they did: I know some people DON'T like the black bars on the top and bottom of a letterboxed image and don't mind the edges being cut off in 'pan & scan'. Here in the US you can buy the same DVD in either 'letterbox' or 'full screen' (sort of the equivalent of 'pan & scan') versions.

The way iDVD creates a 16:9 DVD (at least for NTSC) it is the user who decides how to view 16:9 content on a 4:3 TV set - it makes sense to me.

All this will become meaningless as everyone converts to 16:9 TV sets.

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The OP has two choices: simply change the set top DVD player setting to 'letterbox' or use myDVDEdit to modify a disk image file and then burn the final DVD. I really don't care which method he chooses, but the issue (at least for NTSC) isn't a bug.

Note to browsers. The discussion has been going on for a long time - long before iDVD 7. See http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1030874&tstart=0 and note Brendan Jones comments from 7 Jul 07 for one of many examples.

You could just as easily have picked

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4898463&#4898463

or

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4700958&#4700958

You appear to be mixing up two separate issues:

The issue of some widescreen content not being recognized as such by iDVD is is not related to the issue of DVDs that contain widescreen content being displayed in pan & scan mode.

The content recognition issue is a serious, long time issue, especially with content from FCP or FCE and often requires something like Anamorphizer to solve. Without fixing, such discs will not play 16:9 in the Apple DVD player application. The video can also be fixed by passing it through VisualHub and setting the force anamorphic box. (Apple has also prepared Knowledgebase articles describing the DV widescreen 16:9 workflow for iDVD for both FCE and FCP.)

But this is unrelated to the 'pan & scan' vs 'letterbox' setting of the DVD player when playing. This applies to DVDs that play widescreen in the Apple DVD Player application.

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In final summary (I hope): if the created DVD plays correctly with the Apple DVD Player Application, but the left and right edges are cut off when played to a 4:3 TV set with a set top DVD player, the simplest fix is to change the player setting; for those that are more ambitious, myDVDEdit can be used to modify the aspect setting on a disk image.

If the created DVD does NOT play correctly with the Apple DVD Player Application, either the raw content must be fixed or a disk image file content must be repaired with myDVDEdit.

Two different problems.

I am glad you have finally realised which issue I was addressing.

I am glad you have finally realised which issue I was addressing.

LOL.... but unfortunately, that issue isn't the one the original poster is having.

I was addressing the actual problem - and changing the DVD player settings is one way to solve THAT problem.

In any event, I'm sure the browsers learned a thing or two.