Aspect ratio won't budge from 4:3

[AQUAR]

Pity butss123 can't get 2.5.6 to work, since that is a frame accurate editor suited to constant frame rate streams (famously too!).
Butss123 could transcode to xvid (constant frame rate, small video size) and set the pixel aspect ratio for proper 16:9 (can do that in 2.5.6).
It would suit his study objective.

I think transcoding to MJPEG and viewing that in VLC will still leave butss123 with the display scaling problem. 

[pchristy]

I'm not familiar with VLC, as I've had too many problems trying to get it to work under 64-bit Linux with hardware acceleration! However, MPlayer (with or without the SMPlayer front-end) allows you to manually set the aspect ratio on playback, so you can over-ride what the container is telling you.

[styrol]

However, MPlayer (with or without the SMPlayer front-end) allows you to manually set the aspect ratio on playback, so you can over-ride what the container is telling you.

So does VLC, but VLC lacks frame backward function (only frame forward seems to be implemented).

If you convert your m2ts video to mp4 (using Handbrake), then Quicktime Player can be used (Ctrl I for timing info; arrow key left and right to navigate from frame to frame).

[zakk]

I would try a .ts editor.

[butts123]

@ butts123
I really don't understand what time information you are missing out on.
The frame aspect ratio has nothing to do with time information for each frame.
I think you are just after a better viewing experience for studying the animal behaviour - frame to frame.
Zakk mentioned that avidemux 2.5.6-1 can do it (don't have that version to verify that), but this version is not very good for .h264 encoded video with variable frame rates (as your .m2ts clips are).
So to be blunt - avidemux is just not for you.
But there are video editors that will let you scale the display.
Try sorenson squeese - here the user can select - anamorphic display - 16:9 - 4:3 - or even one that scales to a custom ratio.
       

I'm NOT missing time information In Avidemux. The amount of time information that I get using it is the exact reason why I'm using it, and not something else like VLC or WMP. That's all I said. I just want it to display in 16:9, as I've been saying all along. The 2.5.6-1 version will not play my .m2ts videos, the h-264 and b-frame message pops up and crashes.  I've also been looking around for a free video editor that plays .m2ts files and give me frame-by-frame info but I've had no luck.

I would try a .ts editor.

Do you know of any free ones? I've looked around but can't find any.

[AQUAR]

@ butts123
. It was you that said "I just need Avidemux to display in 16:9, otherwise I'm not getting accurate data from my videos".
  I just responded by saying that I don't understand what data you are missing out on.
. We know that you want to view it in 16:9 to get "accurate data" but you don't state what that this correlates too.
  I just responded with my guess that you are just after a better viewing experience.
. To top it of, you are not interested in video processing, just want an easy minimalistic fix, and it must be free source.

We don't study animal behaviour here, but with a nice human behaviour we tried to help in your fuzzy end game.
Its understood that the video program is just a tool for your project and that you don't want it to be a tangent.

BUT, if you want 16:9 aspect in avidemux you will have to replace the wishing and wanting with some extra curricular effort.
That is - a smidgen of understanding so you can recode the original and recreate it to fit your desire.

The information to get a 16:9 display is already provided in the responses above.
But in a nutshell here it is again:
1) Your video is stored as a virtual 4:3 array of pixels.
2) "stretch the pixels" to get a 16:9 display.
3) use a media player that will read meta data so it will "stretch pixels".
4) avidemux will not stretch and will not give you 16:9 - no good for you.

Bothersome method for you (and my last bit of time on this).
5) recode with stretched pixels by rescaling and resampling.
6) play new video - get a 16:9 avidemux experience - extract "elusive" data.

[butts123]

I meant the 4:3 aspect ration gives me inaccurate visual data from the video, because it's not representative of what the recorded animals look like/how they behave in real life. Inaccurate video representation = inaccurate transcribing of behaviour, particularly when angles and distances are of concern.
Thanks for reiterating the steps. Again, I know crap-all about editing and pixel stretching and all that stuff, a noob like me needs it in plain language (as you've just done).

Thanks to everyone for trying to help, I have a clearer picture of what I have to do now. I think.

[AQUAR]

@ butts123,

If you provide a sample I will do a trial recode for you.

[butts123]

So I've managed to do it (thanks for the offer btw)



However I noted a (I think) weird thing while converting my file in handbrake:



Whats up with the disconnect between the frame dimensions and aspect ratio??


Oh yeah, and as of a couple of days ago the sound stopped working for no reason. This program is driving me bonkers, lol.
**edit** nvm, fixed it

[AQUAR]

Yep thats the stretch and recode solution.
Handbrake reads the source as being anamorphic 16:9.
Result=1440/1080*(stretched pixel)= 1440/1080*(1.35/1)=1920/1080=16:9=1.78.
Lucky for you it did this automatically.
You can thank styrol for putting you on to handbrake.
Now if you had digested the info provided, you would not be asking what is up with 1.78.
More importantly you could have manually set up avidemux to do the same.

[butts123]

Yo, don't judge a fish on it's ability to climb a tree. I'm trying my best to "digest" here :/ I still don't know how I could get avidemux to do the same by adjusting things manually, I had played around with some of the settings with no luck.

[AQUAR]

Not heard that humerous expression before - I'll have to remember it.

Didn't mean to judge you in that regard, but that is Human nature in response to:
You wrote "I don't care about WHY it's showing in 4:3", so I feel fine in saying "if you don't care why should I".

Regardless, I'm glad that with some help from avidemux members you found a work around.

Now, avidemux has various processing filters, under the transform category there is a filter called swsResize.
Using this filter you can resize and resample to create whatever display aspect ratio you want at whatever resolution.
ie, unlock the aspect ratio - set vertical and horizontal number of pixels for a 16 to 9 ratio - choose the number of pixel wisely (say 1920 X 1080) - recode with your favorite codec and media container (eg xvid in mkv) - and don't skimp on the video bit rate.
The new video will be played back in avidemux just the way you defined it.
And if you use xvid in mkv there is a broader compatibility aspect that gives you more viewing options.

That last paragraph is just because maybe I appreciated that funny expression.

[waldo22]

I know this thread is positively ancient, but it's directly on-topic, so I wanted to update it.

Like others in these threads:
https://avidemux.org/smif/index.php?topic=10970.0
https://avidemux.org/smif/index.php?topic=16765.0

...I have TV recordings in Transport Streams that I am trying to re-mux (not re-encode) into an MKV container.

AVIDemux is a fantastic tool for quickly cutting, removing null packets, and re-muxing these streams.

Due to the weird bandwidth-saving techniques of broadcast and satellite TV, the resolution of these files in the transport stream is 1440x1080 for HD streams, but it is meant to be displayed as 1920x1080.

After poking around a bit, I noticed a difference between the meta data for files muxed with MKVMerge vs. AVIDemux:

Code Select Expand

MKVMerge:
|+ Tracks
| + Track
|  + Track number: 1 (track ID for mkvmerge & mkvextract: 0)
|  + Track UID: 1
|  + Track type: video
|  + Lacing flag: 0
|  + Codec ID: V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
|  + Codec's private data: size 47 (h.264 profile: High @L4.0)
|  + Default duration: 00:00:00.016683350 (59.940 frames/fields per second for a video track)
|  + Language: und
|  + Video track
|   + Pixel width: 1440
|   + Pixel height: 1080
|   + Display width: 1920
|   + Display height: 1080

AVIDemux:
|+ Tracks
| + Track
|  + Track number: 1 (track ID for mkvmerge & mkvextract: 0)
|  + Track UID: 1
|  + Lacing flag: 0
|  + Language: und
|  + Codec ID: V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
|  + Codec's private data: size 48 (h.264 profile: High @L4.0)
|  + Track type: video
|  + Default duration: 00:00:00.016683350 (59.940 frames/fields per second for a video track)
|  + Video track
|   + Pixel width: 1440
|   + Pixel height: 1080


Notice that the Avidemux job is missing the "Display width and Display height" properties?

Both files play back properly on a computer, but not on a video player (MrMc and/or Kodi) connected to a TV.

I think what the other posters were unclear about is that there is no encoding going on here, just re-muxing.  Taking the Avidemux .MKV and re-muxing with MKVMerge produces the correct file with the Display width and Display height tags.

Even better, if you have MKVToolNix installed:

Code Select Expand

mkvpropedit MyVideoFile.mkv --edit track:v1 --set display-width=1920 --set display-height=1080

This simply re-writes the MKV header info, which takes 2 seconds, and produces the correct aspect ratio when played on a tv-connected device.

Is there a way to get Avidemux to simply add the Display width and Display height properties to the video tracks for TS files with these DVB resoutions?

I hope this shows what the others were talking about; it's not an encoding problem, just a file header problem.

Thanks for listening!

-Wes

[eumagga0x2a]

Since long time, Avidemux can remux a video to MKV (and since not quite so long time, to MP4 too) adding display aspect ratio metadata to the container.

[waldo22]

Thanks.

So, I swear I looked at every single setting, but somehow I missed the "Configure" button under "Output Format", which is for the muxer.

What is the preferred way to set this?

Forcing a display width of 1920, or forcing display aspect ratio of 16:9?

I re-muxed using forced aspect ratio of 16:9 and it worked great!

Code Select Expand

From Avidemux:
|  + Video track
|   + Pixel width: 1440
|   + Pixel height: 1080
|   + Display width: 16
|   + Display height: 9
|   + Display unit: 3 (aspect ratio)


It seems like "force aspect ratio" does exactly what I need, I just wanted to know if that is the "best practice".

Thanks a bunch!