Scaling of MP4 files

[simoncasey]

Is there any way to change how the T3 plays back MP4 (and other) media.

I've tried playing back two separate mp4s with greater than 16:9 aspect. One is 1280 x 536 and it is shown in letterbox. The other is 1280 x 688 and is shown scaled to fit. Their seems to be no way of changing it. There is a setting under av settings called Display >16:9 content as but changing that appears to make no difference.

Cheers

[netmask]

Most movies especially blockbusters are shot 2.35:1 so there should be black bars top and bottom to maintain correct aspect ratio.
16:9 is a TV standard and whilst a few movies have been shot 16:9 there aren't many. So movies that have been shot 2.35:1 and released on Bluray will be letterboxed within a 16:9 frame and those release on DVD will be within a 4:3 frame unless more recently they are anamorphic.

If you have "downloaded" a file and it has black bars top and bottom AND both sides and if it is an avi you could try changing it's flag to 16:9 or whatever with MPEG4Modifier.

Broadcasters sometimes when they buy programs for TV can get a 16:9 version that has had the sides cropped off and then enlarged to fill the frame. Personally I think it is dreadful and prefer to see the movie as it was intended.


http://www.hometheaterforum.com/topic/3 ... -still-hd/

For the second mentioned
http://forum.videohelp.com/threads/3133 ... nge-Aspect

[simoncasey]

Yes, 2.35 aspect ratio are shown in letterbox as I would expect.

However I have a number of 1280x688 MP4 and these are scaled to fit into the 16x9 screen ie they are stretched vertically to the equivalent of 1280 x 720.

[netmask]

MPEG4Modifier might be able to fix it otherwise pop the file into a mkv container using MKVmergegui and then use UncropMKV to correct it. Both programs are available from the tools section of videohelp.com

[simoncasey]

There's nothing wrong with the files. The t3 is scaling them when if should be playing them in letterbox. Or at least giving me the option how to play them.

[MrQuade]

The files might be broken in a subtle way that the t3 takes issue with. Can you post a mediainfo dump of the file in question?

[netmask]

Possibly the T3 doesn't recognise the flags in the MP4 . The quickest way to fix this is to force the flag to 2:35:1 using MPEG modifier. Some files don't set the flag and media players like VLC are handling it ok. As suggested post a mediainfo report of the fike. The aspect ratio might be one thing but the DAR might be something else and the T3 is responding to the DAR rather than the aspect ration.. I have seen numerous files where the aspect ratio was widescreen but the DAR was 16:9 or even 4:3 and in one case 5:4

[netmask]

A classic example - Flash Gordon circa 1936 definitely shot 4:3 but the encode made the DAR 16:9 and VLC goes for 16:9 which results in squashed Flash!

The original Mediainfo report

Code: Select all

General
Complete name                            : Q:\Flash.Gordon.[1936]\9-13\Flash Gordon Ep9-13.mp4
Format                                   : MPEG-4
Format profile                           : Base Media
Codec ID                                 : isom
File size                                : 800 MiB
Duration                                 : 1h 28mn
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 1 257 Kbps
Encoded date                             : UTC 2012-11-29 20:08:00
Tagged date                              : UTC 2012-11-29 20:08:00

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : AVC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                           : High@L4.0
Format settings, CABAC                   : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames                : 3 frames
Codec ID                                 : avc1
Codec ID/Info                            : Advanced Video Coding
Duration                                 : 1h 28mn
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Bit rate                                 : 1 125 Kbps
Maximum bit rate                         : 25.0 Mbps
Width                                    : 720 pixels
Height                                   : 400 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Frame rate mode                          : Constant
Frame rate                               : 25.000 fps
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.156
Stream size                              : 715 MiB (89%)
Title                                    : 9-13
Writing library                          : x264 core 104 r1683 62997d6
Encoding settings                        : cabac=1 / ref=3 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x133 / me=umh / subme=7 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=3 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=0 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=40 / rc=2pass / mbtree=1 / bitrate=1125 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / vbv_maxrate=25000 / vbv_bufsize=25000 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00 / nal_hrd=vbr
Encoded date                             : UTC 2012-11-29 20:08:00
Tagged date                              : UTC 2012-11-29 20:09:14

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile                           : LC
Codec ID                                 : 40
Duration                                 : 1h 28mn
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Bit rate                                 : 128 Kbps
Maximum bit rate                         : 135 Kbps
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Channel positions                        : Front: L R
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 KHz
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Stream size                              : 81.7 MiB (10%)
Title                                    : Imported with GPAC 0.4.6-DEV (internal rev. 5)
Encoded date                             : UTC 2012-11-29 20:08:59
Tagged date                              : UTC 2012-11-29 20:09:14

Menu
00:00:00.000                             : Chapter 1
00:04:12.480                             : Chapter 2
00:10:32.040                             : Chapter 3
00:18:01.760                             : Chapter 4
00:25:30.320                             : Chapter 5
00:31:01.760                             : Chapter 6
00:35:45.720                             : Chapter 7
00:43:06.960                             : Chapter 8
00:50:19.320                             : Chapter 9
00:53:02.320                             : Chapter 10
00:58:31.120                             : Chapter 11
01:07:13.960                             : Chapter 12
01:09:57.840                             : Chapter 13
01:16:09.480                             : Chapter 14
01:23:40.440                             : Chapter 15

After running it through MKVMergeGui and setting the flag at 4:3 it now reproduces correctly as shown by the Mediainfo report

Code: Select all

General
Unique ID                                : 194441612576819977694704368254863590652 (0x924817A828E470668F4D2DFFA2ECC4FC)
Complete name                            : Q:\Flash.Gordon.[1936]\9-13\Flash Gordon Ep9-13.mkv
Format                                   : Matroska
Format version                           : Version 4 / Version 2
File size                                : 799 MiB
Duration                                 : 1h 28mn
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 1 255 Kbps
Encoded date                             : UTC 2014-10-01 10:35:41
Writing application                      : mkvmerge v6.9.1 ('Blue Panther') 32bit built on Apr 18 2014 18:15:44
Writing library                          : libebml v1.3.0 + libmatroska v1.4.1

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : AVC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                           : High@L4.0
Format settings, CABAC                   : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames                : 3 frames
Codec ID                                 : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration                                 : 1h 28mn
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Nominal bit rate                         : 1 125 Kbps
Maximum bit rate                         : 25.0 Mbps
Width                                    : 720 pixels
Height                                   : 400 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 4:3
Original display aspect ratio            : 16:9
Frame rate mode                          : Constant
Frame rate                               : 25.000 fps
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.156
Writing library                          : x264 core 104 r1683 62997d6
Encoding settings                        : cabac=1 / ref=3 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x133 / me=umh / subme=7 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=3 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=0 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=40 / rc=2pass / mbtree=1 / bitrate=1125 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / vbv_maxrate=25000 / vbv_bufsize=25000 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00 / nal_hrd=vbr
Default                                  : Yes
Forced                                   : No

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile                           : LC
Codec ID                                 : A_AAC
Duration                                 : 1h 28mn
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Channel positions                        : Front: L R
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 KHz
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Default                                  : Yes
Forced                                   : No

Menu
00:00:00.000                             : en:Chapter 1
00:04:12.480                             : en:Chapter 2
00:10:32.040                             : en:Chapter 3
00:18:01.760                             : en:Chapter 4
00:25:30.320                             : en:Chapter 5
00:31:01.760                             : en:Chapter 6
00:35:45.720                             : en:Chapter 7
00:43:06.960                             : en:Chapter 8
00:50:19.320                             : en:Chapter 9
00:53:02.320                             : en:Chapter 10
00:58:31.120                             : en:Chapter 11
01:07:13.960                             : en:Chapter 12
01:09:57.840                             : en:Chapter 13
01:16:09.480                             : en:Chapter 14
01:23:40.440                             : en:Chapter 15

[netmask]

Been testing a few files and indeed the T3 ignores the DAR flag in MP4 and MKV files so short of a firmware update of the codecs the only solution is to reencoding these files with the resultant loss of quality and time. ie the T3 fails as a general purpose media player.

[MrQuade]

Can you post that one as a bug report netmask, or has that already been discussed?

[simoncasey]

The t3 seems to be ok with widescreen movies at around the 2.35 aspect showing them within a letterbox but the movies I have with the traditional 1.85 ratio are being scaled to fit 16:9. So it's not a huge issue (4%) but just enough to be noticeable. I'd estimate that 20% of my movies are 1.85 - and are mainly dramas whereas the action movies are all around 2.35.

But I think somebody else has asked the question in another post. Most media players have a button or a menu to change the aspect ratio.

[MrQuade]

If you just post the mediainfo report then netmask can confirm if it is the same problem as he had observed.

If it is as straightforward as he mentioned then maybe it can get fixed in a firmware update.

[simoncasey]

Sorry, I'm not in front of a PC so I can't do that until tomorrow.

[simoncasey]

OK, downloaded mediainfo and here is a couple of movies with 1.85 ratio that are shown scaled to 16:9 rather than in letter box

General
Complete name : \\MYBOOKLIVE\Public\Media\Movies\Drama\Closer (2004).mp4
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Base Media
Codec ID : isom
File size : 811 MiB
Duration : 1h 43mn
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 1 092 Kbps
Recorded date : 2014-08-30
Encoded date : UTC 2013-10-30 06:25:04
Tagged date : UTC 2013-10-30 06:25:04

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.1
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 4 frames
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 1h 43mn
Bit rate : 994 Kbps
Maximum bit rate : 3 709 Kbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 688 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 1.85:1
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.047
Stream size : 738 MiB (91%)
Writing library : x264 core 138 r2 9e941d1
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=4 / deblock=1-1 / analyse=0x3:0x133 / me=umh / subme=9 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.15 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=24 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=2 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=0 / chroma_qp_offset=-3 / threads=18 / lookahead_threads=1 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=2 / b_bias=0 / direct=3 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=23 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=60 / rc=2pass / mbtree=1 / bitrate=994 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=0 / qpmax=69 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / vbv_maxrate=31250 / vbv_bufsize=31250 / nal_hrd=none / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00
Encoded date : UTC 2013-10-30 06:25:04
Tagged date : UTC 2013-10-30 06:25:11
Color primaries : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.709

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AAC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile : LC
Codec ID : 40
Duration : 1h 43mn
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 93.8 Kbps
Maximum bit rate : 106 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : Front: L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 69.7 MiB (9%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2013-10-30 06:25:09
Tagged date : UTC 2013-10-30 06:25:11

General
Complete name : \\MYBOOKLIVE\Public\.Trash\Maps to the Stars (2014).mp4
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Base Media
Codec ID : isom
File size : 810 MiB
Duration : 1h 47mn
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 1 055 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 2014-09-24 22:08:36
Tagged date : UTC 2014-09-24 22:08:36

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.1
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 4 frames
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 1h 47mn
Bit rate : 957 Kbps
Maximum bit rate : 4 864 Kbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 688 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 1.85:1
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 25.000 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.043
Stream size : 734 MiB (91%)
Writing library : x264 core 142 r2409 d6b4e63
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=4 / deblock=1-1 / analyse=0x3:0x133 / me=umh / subme=9 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.15 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=24 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=2 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=0 / chroma_qp_offset=-3 / threads=60 / lookahead_threads=5 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=2 / b_bias=0 / direct=3 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=60 / rc=2pass / mbtree=1 / bitrate=957 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=0 / qpmax=69 / qpstep=4 / cplxblur=20.0 / qblur=0.5 / vbv_maxrate=31250 / vbv_bufsize=31250 / nal_hrd=none / filler=0 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00
Encoded date : UTC 2014-09-24 22:08:36
Tagged date : UTC 2014-09-24 22:08:46
Color primaries : BT.709
Matrix coefficients : BT.709

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AAC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile : LC
Codec ID : 40
Duration : 1h 47mn
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 93.8 Kbps
Maximum bit rate : 103 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : Front: L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 72.0 MiB (9%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2014-09-24 22:08:44
Tagged date : UTC 2014-09-24 22:08:46

[netmask]

Well it is indeed a bug IMO I have checked 3 films including one of yours that I have and can confirm the T3 "fits to screen" ie 1.77:1

The Popcorn C200 also does the same thing but at least the C200 has a zoom button that cycles through "actual size, fit to screen and crop etc" however none of these options other than "actual size" show the correct aspect ratio but then in the case of these movies that all have been compressed from their BD or DVD source appear as postage stamps.

In the case of the Popcorn C200 and NOT the T3 if you put MP4 files within a MKV container as I outlined in a previous post and marking the flag 4:3 then the C200 respects this and the correct AR is shown. So it is not only the media players but also something in the MP4 standards.

Some years ago the C200 had problems with MP4 files navigating (since fixed with a firmware update) I have been routinely putting all my MP4 files in a MKV container as this seems to be the "blessed" format as far as the C200 goes.

I'm afraid the only fix for the T3 is either a firmware codec update or reprocessing the files ie losing quality and time taken etc.

As far as cinema releases go many cinemas before installing widescreens would crop their 1.85:1 movies to fit as this was part of the framing policy of producers at the time. So there generally was a lot of air above the action and space on the sides. In the same way dialog is nearly always maintain within a tight locus of the centre line of the image.

I think it was the infamous "talking noses" shot in the Cinemascope production of Ben Hur convinced producers to keep the important action centre screen when it was released as 4:3

It's worth having a read at the widescreen museum site on the history of AR's http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/index.htm#main%20index

[MrQuade]

Posted it as a bug.
viewtopic.php?f=47&t=8403

Here's hoping it makes it into the official list of fixes soon.