Canon XH-A1, only one output ratio?

I own the XH-A1. In standard definition you have two aspect output options (4:3 and 16:9). In HDV, you have only 16:9. However, you can use the aspect guides on the camera's viewfinder to properly frame a subject if you want to change it in post.

For example, if you want your finished product to have a cinemascope look like Stars Wars, Halloween, or any other movie shot in that ratio you can set your aspect guide to 2.35:1 and make sure you stay within those lines. Then in post, you can either add fake black bars or you can crop the video when you compress it to export it to DVD or the web. However, there is lot of talk about whether one should do that or not since they would be losing part of their image resolution. However, my belief is, if you want it to look a certain way and it will help you tell your story better, go for it.

I hope this helps.

Thank you

Thank you for your answer.

I guess I use the software like Adobe Premiere to crop the video huh?

You wouldn't want to crop it ... at least not for DVD use, since it would be a non-standard format.

Letterboxing is the way to go for sure. If you want a final aspect ratio of 2.35:1, letterbox your 16:9 image to that aspect ratio.

The easiest way to do so is to create a photoshop file with the top & bottom bars on it, and a transparent background, then drop that into the top video layer in premiere (or whatever NLE) and drag it out to the final length of your edited footage. The nice thing about this is that if your framing isn't perfect you can slide the footage up and down a bit in the viewport (underneath the letterbox bars) and fix minor framing issues.

Now see, this is the type of info I'm looking for! Gotta love this forum. The collective knowledge on this forum never ceases to amaze me. Free advice, free tips, who needs film school? LOL! (I know, I know, I've read those threads too).

Thank you!!

Thank you very much for the answer. I should use LTBX then.

Well, Will

I came up with another question.

I want to submit my work to the festivals someday,
and letterboxing is the way to go in that case as well?