How do I burn HDTV videos into DVDs to play on a regular TV?

Question

I have some videos on my computer that are in wide screen format. I want to burn those videos into a DVD and play it on my regular TV which is not a wide screen TV. How do I make it so that the video is not distorted? How do I make the video show up so that the aspect ratio of the video is preserved while playing on my regular TV? Do you remember seeing movies played on TVs where there are black bars on the top and bottom? How do I get that?

Answer 1

To preserve the original (2.40:1, 2.35:1, or 1.85:1) aspect ratio, just burn the files onto DVD-Rs using DVD burning software. Make sure that you have a DVD burner and use the correct type of disc as there are several different kinds out there. Most DVD burning software that you purchase is fairly easy to use (just drag the file, the software converts it to the proper file, and then burns it to the disc for you). Just be sure that the DVD player that you are using on your TV is capable of reading DVD-Rs (almost all current models are). When you watch the DVD on your TV, the black bars will appear at the top and bottom of your screen (just make sure that your DVD player is set to "4:3 Letterbox" and not "4:3 Pan & Scan" or "16:9 Widescreen").

There may actually be some software (and equipment) that you can purchase that will allow you to actually hook your computer directly into your TV so you can watch your movie files on the TV without having to make them into DVDs to be played on your DVD player.

Answer 2

What your asking is possible, but not cost effective. In order to change the aspect ratio from wide screen to standard (N.T.S.C. 14.1) each video frame needs to be cropped. This can take a very long time and requires big computer power and a lot of memory. There may be some software on the market that dose this, but I've never seen it. I know Photo Shop has mass production capability to process many frames to a users specifications. I think it wouldn't stand up to a whole movie. Maybe someone else knows a way.
Another way you can do that, if you have the equipment, is to play the wide screen movie on a bright LCD screen. Then with a video camera zoomed into just the part you want you can capture the whole movie in the standard format and burn it to a DVD from the video camera.
Good question.

Answer 3

i don't have little ones yet I play. i don't particularily want violent console video games. I play them for the plots and the experience of fulfillment one gets from defeating a or many CGI enemies. 3 of my usual video games are Dante's Inferno,Darksiders and devil might Cry. there is your non secular attitude.