Since aspect ratios have often been a hot topic on Screen-L and since frame
grabs were recently mentioned, I thought I'd bring the two threads together
with this query:

Has anyone had trouble getting a true 4:3 (1.33:1) aspect ratio when doing
digital frame grabs from VHS video?

I recently installed a Matrox G400-TV tuner and video capture card in my
PC.  It'll capture MOTION video at the standard screen sizes of 320x240 and
640x480, which are precisely 1.33-to-1 aspect ratios.

However, when I use Matrox's "Video Snapshot" software to do STILL
captures, I get frames not quite 1.33 and it's annoying the heck out of
me.  Instead of 1.33, each "snapshot" is the oddball size of 688x470 pixels
or 1.46 to 1.

I'm using this system to create images for the new edition of <shameless
plug> TELEVISION: CRITICAL METHODS AND APPLICATIONS and I need the precise
aspect ratio or the frames won't appear correctly.

Any suggestions?

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Jeremy Butler
[log in to unmask]
ScreenSite http://www.tcf.ua.edu/ScreenSite
Telecommunication & Film/University of Alabama/Tuscaloosa

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