Left side of picture is cut off on a DVD player, but not on the computer.

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c_wag03

Member
Hi,
I have a WinFast TV 2000 XP capture card, Windows XP Pro, 256 mb RAM, Pentium 4 (1500 mhz)...I am trying to record some old Laurel and Hardy shorts off of VHS. I have a VCR hooked up to my capture card, and am using the WinFast PVR application to record. I am recording in mpeg-2 format. Then I use Ulead Video Studio 7 (or DVD Movie Factory, same problem) to create a DVD. When I watch the finished video on my dvd player, a small part of the left side of the video is cut off (an inch at the most). When I watch it on my computer, however, it looks fine. This is really weird, becuase I have recoded episodes of South Park onto DVD before, with no problems...although those were recorded from Dish, and not VCR. I have recorded things like this before with no problems, this just started when I tried these Laurel and Hardy tapes. Anyone have any idea why this would happen? Palying the mpeg-2 file on the PC looks fine, as does playing the DVD on PowerDVD. The problem is only on a regular DVD player. Any help would be much appreciated.
 
ChickenMan

ChickenMan

1
Your PC will paly a MPEG2 file in just about any size shape or form. Your DVD Player is expected to play DVD compliant files only. If they dont play correctly yhen I suggest you look at how your capturing your MPEG2 files. Pic size should be 720x480 (or 576 for PAL), if it is not then expect playback problems.
 
C

c_wag03

Member
I am capturing at 720x480...I really don't understand this, it has always worked fine before. Any other ideas? What exactly is overscan?
 
C

c_wag03

Member
This is really messed up. I thought maybe it was only something to do with the VHS tape I am trying to record...so I tried recording something off of another much newer VHS tape, and I also tried recording something off of the Dish (like I have done many times before with South Park) and it is having the same problem. I am going to try unisntalling all the software, and reinstalling it to see if that helps. In the meantime, if anyone has any other ideas, please post them. Thank you.
 
C

c_wag03

Member
I unistalled the PVR software, the Capture Card Driver, and the DVD burning software, and reinstalled it all...and still have the same problem. I also tried burning an old file that I had recorded a while ago, before this problem started. And it did the same thing. So that tells me it is some problem with the way it is being burned, and not with the way the video files are being recorded. Does that sound accurate? Anyone have any idea?
 
C

celtic_druid

1
Overscan is the area at the edge of TV's where the picture is hidden. Check one of you older working discs on the PC to see if it has any black border on the left side.
 
Coaster

Coaster

1
@ c-wag03,

I suggest connecting your Desktop Stand Alone DVD Player to a different Television and see what happens. To me it appears that you have a problem with your Television sweep scanning and nothing to do with your computer related hardware/software.

Something similar happened to my Television when lighting struck my Cable TV input line and fried something inside the guts of my Television. I had to take my Television to the repair shop to get it fixed.

Regards,
Coaster
 
C

c_wag03

Member
Coaster,
I can't unhook my DVD player, becuase it is an all-in-one DVD, VCR, TV. However, I did try the disc in my neighbors DVD player, and had the same problem.
 
C

c_wag03

Member
Anyone have any other ideas? The only possible explanation seems to me, to be something wrong with my burner, or the drivers for it or something...can someone please help.
 
C

c_wag03

Member
ChickenMan,

I'm not exactly sure what all Bitrate Viewer can do, but heres what it says under the "general" tab:

Num. of picture read: 31963
Stream type: MPEG-2 MP@ML CBR
Resolution: 704*480
Aspect ratio: 4:3 Generic
Framerate: 29.97
Nom. bitrate: 6000000 Bit/Sec
VBV buffer size: 112
Constrained param. flag: No
Chroma format: 4:2:0
DCT precision: 9
Pic. structure: Frame
Field topfirst: No
DCT type: Field
Quantscale: Nonlinear
Scan type: Alternate
Frame type: Interlaced
Notes:


And in PVR, the audio is captured as "MPEG-1 Audio Layer-II"


Also, one more thing...I still had an image file of one of the South Park DVD's that I made, and when I burned that again onto a DVD+RW, it still worked perfectly. So I'm thinking it must be a problem with the way that Video Studio is making the vob files...but if that was the case, I would think that re-installing the software would fix the problem, but it didn't. Anyway, hopefully the info from Bitrate viewer helps. If you need anything else, let me know.
 
C

c_wag03

Member
I used bitrate viewer on one of the vob files from the south park DVD too, heres what it said:

Num. of picture read: 63233
Stream type: MPEG-2 MP@ML CBR
Resolution: 720*480
Aspect ratio: 4:3 Generic
Framerate: 29.97
Nom. bitrate: 6000000 Bit/Sec
VBV buffer size: 112
Constrained param. flag: No
Chroma format: 4:2:0
DCT precision: 9
Pic. structure: Frame
Field topfirst: No
DCT type: Field
Quantscale: Nonlinear
Scan type: Alternate
Frame type: Interlaced
Notes:


I noticed the resolution is 704 x 480 on the first one, instead of 720 x 480 like it should be. I guess that's the problem...but why would it be like that?
 
C

c_wag03

Member
Now I'm really confused...I made another DVD, just of a really small video clip...and here is what bitrate viewer said:

Num. of picture read: 155
Stream type: MPEG-2 MP@ML VBR
Resolution: 720*480
Aspect ratio: 4:3 Generic
Framerate: 29.97
Nom. bitrate: 6000000 Bit/Sec
VBV buffer size: 112
Constrained param. flag: No
Chroma format: 4:2:0
DCT precision: 8
Pic. structure: Frame
Field topfirst: No
DCT type: Frame
Quantscale: Linear
Scan type: ZigZag
Frame type: Progressive
Notes:


The resolution looks correct on this one, yet I still had the same problem when I played the DVD in a DVD player.
 
C

c_wag03

Member
I was thinking it was a problem with the software I'm using (even though it has worked in the past)...but now I just tried another program...Sonic MyDVD...and it does the same thing. Does anyone have any idea why this is happening?
 
ChickenMan

ChickenMan

1
Woohooo, boy oh boy you have problems. To sum up, Video Studio, WinFast PVR, Movie Factory & MyDVD produce the same playback problems on your TV and your neighbours. The raw files plays back fine on the PC though as does the burnt DVDR with PowerDVD. Earlier uses of Winfast worked fine with other sources than these Laurel & Hardy tapes.

Are you sure the tapes are NTSC? Also, have you changes the type of media your burning to or the software your burning them with (or settings)? Are you using DVD RW's for all this testing?
 
C

c_wag03

Member
The summary is pretty much correct...except I have tried recording several other things (other than the Laurel and Hardy tapes) since the problem started, and no matter what I record it still has the same problem. I'm pretty sure the tapes are NTSC, but since I have tried recording other things too, I don't think that has anything to do with it. And yes I have been using DVD+RW's all the time, but I have two different ones that I use quite a bit, and the problem is the same on both of them. I guess I could try a DVD+R if u think that might be the problem, I just didn't want to waste one. And I haven't changed any settings that I'm aware of. I'm using Memorex DVD+RW's.
 
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ChickenMan

ChickenMan

1
Can you use DVD Shrink to re-author the DVD files you have on your HD. It wont transcode them, just recreate new IFO files for the set of VOB files. Basically it can clean up a poor IFO file if that is the case. No probs with the RW, they just save coasters.
 
C

c_wag03

Member
I tired using DVD shrink with some of the DVD files cretaed recently, and it still has the same problem. However, I also tried making a Back up of a DVD that I have (a store bought DVD) using DVD Decrypter and DVD Shrink...and that still works fine. It also works fine when I burn a DVD image file that I created using Video Studio about Month ago before the problem started. I still had the image saved on my hard drive, and when I burn that it works fine. The problem is only when I try to make a DVD using an mpeg file...any mpeg file, even one that has been recorded before the problem started. Could it be a problem with my mpeg-2 codec or something? I have no idea, this really boggles my mind.
 
C

c_wag03

Member
I also just tried recording in "Uncompressed AVI" format instead of Mpeg-2...still the same problem :mad: This makes absolutely no sense to me. Anybody have any ideas?
 
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