School Play

I would convert the wmv file to the desired format in Sony Movie Studio (Other video editing programmes avalable), then make the DVD with Architect

John - You mean to say you're copying someone else's hard work without paying for another copy?, then sending it back to complain cause you can't copy it? If you are . . . shame on you :D

Thanks John.

Already done that and although the DVD plays, it`s still not full screen. Converting the wmv file to DV 720x576 still leaves a video the size of a postage stamp.

Hi Branny, you’re on the wrong track!

My son paid for this DVD, as i`m sure many parents probably have. The person who did the work, obviously did not understand what they were doing. If it had worked as it should, I would have no need to copy the files. If I find the answer I can then pass it on, and save the school re-funds on those already sold.

Two sets of grand parents disappointed at their first grandchild’s Christmas Play!

John

I suggest triple checking your render setting in Movie Studio.

A wrong setting in Movie Studio is the only reason a render from 1440x1080 down to 720x480 wouldn't work........... in my opinion

How big are the original wmv files?

What are the properties of your rendered files MPG2

Cheers

The rendered mpg files from both HDV and DV read as original, except the frame rate is from 29 to 25fps. Otherwise, it`s 1440x1080 and 720x576. But neither fill the screen. I am having a play with some video converters, but can`t see them doing anything different to movie studio.

I use premiere pro.  If you create a sequence to your required size, then import the file onto timeline, then right click file and choose "Scale to frame size" it should then export
to your chosen frame size.

I can't understand why you didn't just send the DVD back and ask for a working replacement?

Put yourself in the producer's shoes. If you had made this and inadvertently ticked the wrong box before the burn, (and were too rushed to double check) would you appreciate another video operator telling you where you went wrong?, or even worse, telling the school who commisioned it?

Of course, it may also be that it's a complete newbie who's produced it, but even so, a phone call/email offering to look at the problem with them (hopefully their name is on the DVD) to find a solution would seem more helpful . :)

Thanks Mike.

I don`t use Premiere Pro now, and have tried both Movie Studio and Elements without success. What ever I do, the video size stays the same. It`s a little better using square pixels, but still doesn`t fill the frame.

The answer I think, is the file was created in Movie Maker, and it`s DVD program in Win7. There are a lot of very dissatisfied users of the DVD program that worked in Vista, but not Win7. So having wasted enough time, I am giving up with it. Thanks anyway.

The DVD has gone back, and my son will sort it out. I have no idea who made it as there is no name on either the DVD or the video.

They probably would not want anyone telling them where they went wrong, which is why I shall not interfere. I am sure the problem will be resolved eventually.

Hi John

I would love to have a go at converting your schools video to full size

I find it sad that you won't have this memory of your grandson

John 

Thanks John. We will have the memory, if it is a little smaller than anticipated, and there may be a new one eventually. But curiosity got the better of me.

I have just installed windows movie maker, and opened both the HDV and DV version of the file. I was surprised to see it play as a small video in the middle of a black screen, assuming this was the program used.  

The save options are just Mp4 and wmv. No mpg or any setting for anything. I wonder why anyone uses it. The same trying windows DVD maker. Only basic setting, and it wouldn`t even burn a disk.
End of story....

Hi John

If the source file picture is small try this:

Import the 1440 video file into Sony Movie Studio

Add the video to the timeline

Right click on the video and select on Video Pan/Crop

Scroll down on the Video Pan/Crop menu on the left hand side of the picture and select 'No' under 'Source' for 'Maintain Aspect Ratio' and if needed  'Stretch to Fill Frame'

This may not be the complete answer but should set you on your way to a full screen DVD with some tweaking

Position at the top of the Video Pan/Crop menu set as 720 and 480 or 576 may help as well, although the main settings should have covered this already?

Thanks. I hadn`t tried that, but will give it a try. I have done a screen capture which has worked, but there is some disturbance possibly due to recording 30fps and saving as 25fps. But it worked.

Hi John.

Tried pan & crop in Vegas Studio, and the result filled the screen, but with the expected loss in resolution. The screen record from media player, gave a better resolution.
Many thanks.

I would have thought that the 1440 file would have given you a reasonable result cropped to 720

In Movie Studio, what size was the video in the original 1440 file compared to the original 720 file, were they both the size of a postage stamp?

The 1440x1080 only plays in media player. It will not load into Movie Studio, it says something like file not present, and can`t build audio peaks, then it crashes. 

Both the HDV 1440 and 720 play about the same size. So I can only do a screen record in media player and keep a reasonable resolution.

Weird how the 1440 file won't load, that explains the resolution issue for me now

Will Elements load the 1440 file?

Elements crashes as well!  Although properties show both video and audio, the file itself must be corrupt in some way. Sony Movie Studio doesn`t normally crash, although it loads the HDV file, it freezes and no video or audio is shown.

I think that`s all anyone can do.

Except obtain the original recording 

That would be on tape!  Probably the only one, and that`s been used again. Who ever did it, has read somewhere that it`s easy to burn your files to a DVD.

So the school said the tape was overwritten since you returned your DVD?

Your only hope is that a good  1440x1080 file  has been copied onto another DVD which will load into a video editor

The school has said nothing. That is just what I think!

This was something done by someone who knows very little about making a DVD. It certainly wasn`t done on a professional basis. The DVD was given to my daughter-in-law in a brown envelope with nothing written on the DVD.  I think that says it all!

Ha! I work a fair bit in schools, and in general their expertise is pretty abysmal. Many got rid of their technicians to save money, and now just make do.

Realistically, when you have the small picture in the middle, then if it says it's 720, then the actual picture is probably the 576 or smaller size, sitting in a bigger frame, so the quality has already gone, and much of the data is simply black!

Thanks Paul. That`s the best explanation yet. Now! How do they do that?

was it maybe filmed using a Flip camera?

as Paul says, they have a low skill base but not checking before dumping the original is pretty daft

Paul

What resolution would you have if you had the 1440x1080 file 

Probably captured via a LQ USB method?

John

Why don't you ask the school to borrow the original recording and make a HQ DVD for them to distribute?
At least you'll know if the recording still exists 

I've occasionally done similar in Adobe Premiere, when I've been in a hurry and brought in an SD clip into an HD sequence. It always asks if you want to change the sequence settings, but if you say no, this is exactly what you get, and if you've left your monitor setting at something other than 'fit', then you simply may not see it - worse still is when you encode the video it uses the last setting, so you can produce the clip totally unaware, unless you bother to check. I'm guessing this is what happened. 

Thank you all for your help and suggestions. I have seen my son today, and he doesn`t want to pursue the matter. We have the wmv file which plays fine in media player, and he is happy to leave it at that.

It`s been a time consuming exercise that has gone nowhere, and I do not what to get involved any more.

When I was involved in verification, examination and assessment for a big exam board, the video people here would weep at the pathetic and useless video evidence many schools supply - contrasted with the ones who knew how to do it properly!

Fair Enough.......although I would still like a go at the 1440x1080 file to see if it can be retrieved, then cropped to 720, the offer is open if you change your mind.

At one point, I was the Principal Examiner for Music Technology. The examiners who worked for me constantly moaned about piles of CDs arriving that simply wouldn't play, or were blank. The teachers very often not realising that many burning processes need to be finalised - so they would play on other people's equipment. We had to introduce check lists for putting things in the post - which helped, but we ALWAYS had problems.

They had instructions like 'Send the examiner a stereo mix either on CD, or as a stereo .wav file recorded at 16 bit, 44.1KHz sampling rates. Very often we'd get a file from Cubase or Logic instead, or we would have the individual stems, assuming we would load them into our own sequencer - which wasn't what we wanted at all. In another subject they were allowed to use video to capture a performance and this would be used to verify the grades they awarded. Imagine a video taken from 10m away, of girls in black leotards, dancing in front of a black curtain, with red lighting, with auto focus switched on. There would be lots of red blobs moving around - and then their notes would say look at ginger headed girl with the ponytail at 3:04????? No hope. Teachers may be great at teaching but many are technically incompetent!

I have just found out, that the DVD was only supposed to play on a PC! So much for the School DVD.

There seems to be very little thought when it comes to making a video, and the pro`s make mistakes too. How many times do we see white text on pictures with a large amount of white in the background. A black edge to text would be helpful, and if it was played back and checked they would see their mistake.

Surely, if it`s a "DVD" it should play in a "DVD Player"! If it was only designed to play on a PC it wouldn`t be a "DVD" but a computer file!

Not if you create a data disc - Windows or macs both do this if you drag and drop.

As I said earlier! It`s a WMV file. I think it was their mistake, in offering it as a DVD, as it certainly won`t play in a DVD player.

It happens quite a lot.

I often pass on files that are DATA using a DVD disc to hold a 4.5Gig file.
But I label the disc all over so that people do not try to play it in a set top box.

Sometimes it's very hard to explain to people. yet they see, to understand that a CD of photos won't play in their car,

I suspect that many Mums watch their videos on their tablets or phones nowadays   The evidence for that is the sheer number I see filming school concerts etc.

John had a suspect 1440x1080 wmv file that doesn't play properly, if I was in his position I would have asked the school for a working copy on day one.

Re: School expertise,  I don't doubt there are teachers that aren't up to speed with all the technical issues regarding filming etc. I don't doubt there are also some talented experts working in schools as well
In other words one size doesn't fit all in any specialism  My 2p worth