If I want to play back the VCD on a VGA type computer screen, do I need to convert my footage to square pixels to avoid distortion of my graphics. (I don't want my globes to look like elipses.) If so, any suggestions for exporting from after effects? Thanks for your help.

-- Steve Cox (steve@visionaryvideo.net), June 13, 2000

Answers

Cyberlink players will do the right expansion when played full screen, even the simply $25 one does it fine.

Nice to know someone else recognizes that circles aint circles with media player and other software. No, you do not need 1:1 pixels, only suitable software.

-- Ross McL (rmclennan@esc.net.au), June 13, 2000.

Some s/w player applications (like Xing 3.30) allow you to stretch the image in both x and y to correct for any distortion in viewing. I author 16:9 anamorphic VCDs, which, while may play correctly on a 16:9-enabled TV, will look kvetchy on a PC monitor unless I had the ability to stretch them as above. You need not be too aware whether or not VCD had square pixels (it does not); the PC takes whatever pixels there are and uses and displays them square if viewed in a window which is why they look distorted (longer horizontally in NTSC), unless forced into a fullscreen mode.

-- EMartinez (epmartinez@yahoo.com), June 15, 2000.

Yes Cyberlink players allow that also, indeed, with most players one can play at 50%, 100% or 200% of the size and one needs to stretch the image manually. Media player, or at least my version will not do that. A VCD at 352 x 240 at 200% becomes 704 x 480 so it is well short of the correct AR and of filling the screen.

-- Ross McL (rmclennan@esc.net.au), June 16, 2000.