Output Letterbox to Widescreen - is this simply stretched or UPSCALED via software?

[anywhereanytime]

We are evaluating your great product because we have a number of old DVR-MS files from old Windows Media Center 2005.

The commercial editing is the primary reason but we'd like a one program to do everything!

The "original DVR-MS" recored video are 640 x 480 (interlaced analog) and, while experimenting, we saw an output option for "Cropping and resizing" PRESETS > Letterbox to Widescreen.

Our goal is to play these at the BEST POSSIBLE resolution and detail on our 1080p HDTV.

Our goal is MP4 - or H.264 - to "miimize" size for the original DVR-MS "3 GB per HOUR BEST QUALITY" of the original.

So, we were delighted to see the video "fill the 1080p screen", albeit with some minor edge cropping ... is this simply "stretching" or actually "upscaling" the original?

Can you please explain technically what is actually happening?

[phd]

Cropping and resizing would involve reencoding the video.

[anywhereanytime]

Cropping and resizing would involve reencoding the video.

OK ... but, what tyoe of "upscale routine" is in the latest VRD if I go from 720 x 480 best quality DVR-MS to say 720p/1080p H.264 ... or is it simply stretching?

Thanks,

Scott

[Dan203]

I would NOT recommend upscaling the resolution from 720x480 to 720/1080. We use very basic interpolation to scale video. Going down usually looks OK, but going up looks terrible. As for cropping... It uses the same basic interpolation to simply stretch the video into the new frame.

Although there is an option in crop dialog that will set the output resolution to match the cropped size which can prevent any stretching provided your crop values allow the resolution to be divisible by 16. (requirement of MPEG-2 encoding, but applies to all output encoder in VRD)

Dan

[anywhereanytime]

I would NOT recommend upscaling the resolution from 720x480 to 720/1080. We use very basic interpolation to scale video. Going down usually looks OK, but going up looks terrible. As for cropping... It uses the same basic interpolation to simply stretch the video into the new frame.

Although there is an option in crop dialog that will set the output resolution to match the cropped size which can prevent any stretching provided your crop values allow the resolution to be divisible by 16. (requirement of MPEG-2 encoding, but applies to all output encoder in VRD)

Dan

Thank you for the clarification. What "current VRD output profile" would you recommend that might serve as the best platform for "upscaling" via another software program.

Would your new H.264 do that?

Thx,

Scott