16/9 Signal

Asazel · 2003-10-08, 13:12

i don´t know if it is possible, but it would be nice to have a detection for 16/9 video material. so when a 16/9 source is detected the xbox should send the widescreen switching signal to the tv, if the source is 4/3 the xbox should not send the widescreen switching signal, so that the tv can zoom the letterboxed sources. the reason for this is, that some pal 16/9 tv don´t allow zooming if there is the switching signal on the rgb-cable.

mfg,

asazel

**jmarshall** · 2003-10-09, 01:51

what "widescreen switching signal" is this?

there is no widescreen switching signal for standard 16:9 televisions - they always take in the same signal. it is the source (dvd player or xbox) that simply stretches the video source vertically so that when it is squished vertically (or stretched horizontally) by the 16:9 tv, it looks as it should.

as for "autodetection" of 16:9, i've coded this up, and i'm sure it'll be added shortly. note that it will only work if the source video has an aspect ratio flag that the core player (mplayer) can detect. all mpeg1/2 videos will be fine, so vobs, svcd etc. etc. will look exactly as they are intended to look. avi has no support for an aspect ratio setting, so they're always assumed to have a pixel ratio of 1:1. we may add support for users to specify the pixel ratio separately sometime in the future, depending on the demand for such a feature.

cheers,
jonathan

SteveX · 2003-10-09, 05:42

i'd love to drum up some demand to add a feature for setting different aspect ratios for avis. i personally like to save my mpeg2 files as divx files.

ageddon · 2003-10-09, 15:30

http://www.matroska.org/

avi needs to die.

SteveX · 2003-10-09, 16:06

Quote:

avi needs to die.

so does the matroska container have an aspect ratio field and does xbmp/xbmc support it?

Asazel · 2003-10-09, 20:06

@jmarshall

there is a switching signal for widescreen, two different voltage levels on one pin of the scart-plug let the tv know if there is a widescreen soure or not. for example the dbox(dvb-receiver) can detect the source and set this signal on the fly.

mfg,

asazel

**jmarshall** · 2003-10-10, 02:11

thanks for the correction, asazel - i didn't consider scart connections, as they're not the norm here in nz.

assuming the xbox correctly sets this voltage level (and you have it hooked up via scart), then yes, this will be possible to add.

is the xbox hardware doing this correctly? (ie if you set widescreen mode under the msdash, does the tv correctly detect a widescreen signal? also, if you set the msdash up as non-widescreen, does the tv then correctly zoom the image?)

if so, then this can be easily implemented. if not, it will likely be impossible without inside knowledge of the tv encoder (which we don't have).

cheers,
jonathan

ageddon · 2003-10-10, 04:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by (stevex @ oct. 09 2003,14:06)

Quote:

avi needs to die.

so does the matroska container have an aspect ratio field and does xbmp/xbmc support it?

matroska has everything a container format could need right now (including aspect ratio flag), and is extendible for the future.

xbmp had semi-decent support for it until a recent move to vs.net. here's to hoping it will return shortly!

burriko · 2003-10-10, 13:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by (jmarshall @ oct. 08 2003,23:51)

as for "autodetection" of 16:9, i've coded this up, and i'm sure it'll be added shortly. note that it will only work if the source video has an aspect ratio flag that the core player (mplayer) can detect. all mpeg1/2 videos will be fine, so vobs, svcd etc. etc. will look exactly as they are intended to look.

yes, at last! i just tried the latest cvs compile, and the ar detection works brilliantly. do you think these changes will also make it into xbmp?

thank you for a feature that i've been wanting for a long time.

Asazel · 2003-10-10, 18:24

@jmarshall

no problem, if i set msdash to 4:3 the tv is in 4:3 mode, if set to 16:9 the tv is in 16:9 mode, so the xbox set this mode correct. i asked for this because most of my svcd are 4:3 in source, but with embedded black bars(i think its called letterbox). so if xbmc zoom this files to full 4:3 output (with black bars on top and bottom) the tv can zoom this and cut the black bars away more or less because of different movie ar(16:9 or 2.35:1). the tv can only zoom if it is in 4:3 mode

asazel

2003-10-09, 01:51	#2
jmarshall Team-XBMC Developer Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 15,076	what "widescreen switching signal" is this? there is no widescreen switching signal for standard 16:9 televisions - they always take in the same signal. it is the source (dvd player or xbox) that simply stretches the video source vertically so that when it is squished vertically (or stretched horizontally) by the 16:9 tv, it looks as it should. as for "autodetection" of 16:9, i've coded this up, and i'm sure it'll be added shortly. note that it will only work if the source video has an aspect ratio flag that the core player (mplayer) can detect. all mpeg1/2 videos will be fine, so vobs, svcd etc. etc. will look exactly as they are intended to look. avi has no support for an aspect ratio setting, so they're always assumed to have a pixel ratio of 1:1. we may add support for users to specify the pixel ratio separately sometime in the future, depending on the demand for such a feature. cheers, jonathan __________________ Always read the XBMC online-manual, FAQ and search the forum before posting. Do not e-mail XBMC-Team members directly asking for support. Read/follow the forum rules. For troubleshooting and bug reporting please make sure you read this first.

2003-10-10, 02:11	#7
jmarshall Team-XBMC Developer Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 15,076	thanks for the correction, asazel - i didn't consider scart connections, as they're not the norm here in nz. assuming the xbox correctly sets this voltage level (and you have it hooked up via scart), then yes, this will be possible to add. is the xbox hardware doing this correctly? (ie if you set widescreen mode under the msdash, does the tv correctly detect a widescreen signal? also, if you set the msdash up as non-widescreen, does the tv then correctly zoom the image?) if so, then this can be easily implemented. if not, it will likely be impossible without inside knowledge of the tv encoder (which we don't have). cheers, jonathan __________________ Always read the XBMC online-manual, FAQ and search the forum before posting. Do not e-mail XBMC-Team members directly asking for support. Read/follow the forum rules. For troubleshooting and bug reporting please make sure you read this first.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Widescreen signal	mvoosten	XBMC Feature Suggestions	9	2005-10-20 00:53
Stream signal from tv-card	Hysteria	XBMC for Xbox Specific Support	1	2005-04-04 19:59
Widescreen signal loss - 29/11 build	mvoosten	XBMC for Xbox Specific Support	4	2003-12-04 00:06

2003-10-08, 13:12	#1
Asazel Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 9	i don´t know if it is possible, but it would be nice to have a detection for 16/9 video material. so when a 16/9 source is detected the xbox should send the widescreen switching signal to the tv, if the source is 4/3 the xbox should not send the widescreen switching signal, so that the tv can zoom the letterboxed sources. the reason for this is, that some pal 16/9 tv don´t allow zooming if there is the switching signal on the rgb-cable. mfg, asazel

2003-10-09, 05:42	#3
SteveX Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 8	i'd love to drum up some demand to add a feature for setting different aspect ratios for avis. i personally like to save my mpeg2 files as divx files.

2003-10-09, 15:30	#4
ageddon Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 2	http://www.matroska.org/ avi needs to die.

2003-10-09, 20:06	#6
Asazel Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 9	@jmarshall there is a switching signal for widescreen, two different voltage levels on one pin of the scart-plug let the tv know if there is a widescreen soure or not. for example the dbox(dvb-receiver) can detect the source and set this signal on the fly. mfg, asazel

2003-10-10, 18:24	#10
Asazel Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 9	@jmarshall no problem, if i set msdash to 4:3 the tv is in 4:3 mode, if set to 16:9 the tv is in 16:9 mode, so the xbox set this mode correct. i asked for this because most of my svcd are 4:3 in source, but with embedded black bars(i think its called letterbox). so if xbmc zoom this files to full 4:3 output (with black bars on top and bottom) the tv can zoom this and cut the black bars away more or less because of different movie ar(16:9 or 2.35:1). the tv can only zoom if it is in 4:3 mode asazel

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)