DVD studio pro problem

[matteusclement]

I shoot in 16:9 HD
I place all my assest and menus at 16:9.
All appears as 16:9 on my imac, MBP but when put on my room mates dvd player and 50" plasma, the menu has been chopped on either side of it to look like 4:3. BUT, the tracks all play at 16:9... WTF?

is this just the DVD player he has?

also, I feel that I am loosing quality somewhere in the DVD studio process.
here is what I do.

1. capture video
2. create and edit project in FCP
3. export to color
4. send back to FCP
5. make speed changes and titles as needed
6. create QT movie (rather large size)
7. go to DVD studio and set up flow
8. 2 pass vbr 7.0mbps rate

what do I get?
A menu that looks like Original Nintendo screen openers (pixelatous!) and a 4:3 cut off 16:9
The footage also lacks the smoothness around the edges.
What do I do?

 

[bigbossbmb]

in DVDSP you need to set the tracks/menu to 16:9 Letterbox.... It sounds like you set it to 16:9 Pan And Scan.

 

[matteusclement]

actually... while i have you on that topic... what the hell does each one mean?

 

[bigbossbmb]

16:9 Letterbox will letterbox a widescreen image on a 4:3 tv

16:9 Pan & Scan will crop a widescreen image on a 4:3 tv

 

[evil_santa]

i find DVD studio is not very good for resizing files, so for menu etc make sure they the right size to match you video format,

is the DVD SD or HD?, if you making a SD DVD from a HD video clip you are best using Final Cut or Compressor to downsize it first.