[solved] Some videos break the aspect ratio of the output resolution to TV (even the MePo GUI changes aspect ratio) (1 Viewer)

[emphatic]

I'm running MePo in 1080p to my 4K TV (because my Intel NUC HTPC ain't powerful enough to run in 4K) and for some videos, I see that when I start playback, the skin is re-sized (black borders are added all around the video, top/bottom, left/right). The video file's resolution is 1920 x 1080. While I understand that black borders above and below the picture is normal due to different aspect ratio decisions by the filmmakers, why does MePo change the whole resolution of the application and video in some cases? If I pause the video and go into Settings/GUI/Display/UI Calibration or Screen Calibration, it's set to 1920 x 1080 in both cases, but it still has black borders on all 4 sides. And if I try to stretch the video using Aspect Ratio: Stretched, it's unchanged. This baffles me. Even if the video has borders on the sides, then why does MePo re-size the GUI? 16:9 is 16:9 after all...

Emph

 

[CyberSimian]

why does MePo change the whole resolution of the application and video

These symptoms suggest to me (and I am not an expert) that it is the TV that is doing the resizing.

MP has a range of aspect-ratio choices that you can select while playing video. But your TV probably has its own range of aspect-ratio choices that you can select while video is playing (my Sony TV does).

Usually MP and/or the TV make the right choice of aspect ratio. But this is not always true. In the UK I find that some of the minor channels occasionally broadcast programmes with incorrect aspect-ratio flags, with the result that by default the video displays incorrectly. Usually it is possible to alter the MP setting or the TV setting to correct for the error, but I did find one case where neither MP nor the TV could display the programme correctly (I gave up watching that movie!).

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

 

[emphatic]

What's weird is that some material is presented in full 16:9, but some material isn't. If the TV does this, would it not be reasonable that the TV switch the ratio back if I go from full screen video back to the GUI with windowed video? It's not until I stop playback that the skin/GUI is re-sized back to true 16:9. This leads me to believe that MePo outputs into a weird resolution somehow.

Here's a screen from one of the videos I've encountered this when watching it. It's edge to edge without any black bars in the video file itself, and as the aspect ratio is more like 2:35:1 as you can see when I've pasted it onto a 1920 x 1080p blue background, shouldn't MediaPortal show the video in it's maximum width/edge to edge when aspect ratio is set to "Normal" like below?

Or is it possibly a codec issue?

Thanks.
Emph

 

[framug]

Hello,

Couldn't it be because of the ViewModeSwwitcher plugin ?

 

[emphatic]

I forgot I had it installed even. It has been disabled though, I'm just gonna remove it so I can rule it out.

Edit: I forgot it wasn't an optional plugin. But it doesn't seem to affect the videos I'm trying.

 

[framug]

If it is disabled, it will not resize the videos.
When enabled, you can see how it resize (or not) by checking "show message when rule is applied".
Then, you can see the format of videos entries and, how they are resized
And, depending on your hardware (4K or not), maybe you can try to add rules to fit your need.
Another very useful plugin (and more complete with the DRR plugin working togheter if TV set is able to change the Refresh Rate).

 

[emphatic]

I've tried it both off and on, it doesn't make any difference for me. I am using dynamic refresh rate since many years. Thanks for helping out, but I'm stumped.

 

[Pablik]

Well, I don't think the MP is causing this issue. The aspect ratio affects the video output window, not the GUI.
Only the screen calibration can change the GUI. But in that case the scaling would be permanent, not just during the playback.
According the log, the plance scene is set correctly after start of playback:

[2023-03-19 17:57:52,598] [Log    ] [42       ] [INFO ] - PlaneScene: video WxH  : 1920x1080
[2023-03-19 17:57:52,599] [Log    ] [42       ] [DEBUG] - PlaneScene: video AR   : 16:9
[2023-03-19 17:57:52,599] [Log    ] [42       ] [INFO ] - PlaneScene: screen WxH : 1920x1080
[2023-03-19 17:57:52,600] [Log    ] [42       ] [DEBUG] - PlaneScene: AR type    : Normal
[2023-03-19 17:57:52,600] [Log    ] [42       ] [DEBUG] - PlaneScene: PixelRatio : 0,9997
[2023-03-19 17:57:52,601] [Log    ] [42       ] [DEBUG] - PlaneScene: src        : (0,0)-(1920,1080)
[2023-03-19 17:57:52,601] [Log    ] [42       ] [DEBUG] - PlaneScene: dst        : (0,0)-(1920,1080)

It suggests to me that something outside the MP is involved. Maybe the graphic driver. Can you check Intel's HD Graphics Control Panel for Video Image Scaling?

 

[emphatic]

The aspect ratio affects the video output window, not the GUI.
Only the screen calibration can change the GUI.

Above you can see the GUI filling most of the TV screen. Below you can see there's a black border around the whole GUI when video is being played.
As you can see, the menu isn't cut off by the black "frame", but the GUI is actually shrunk inside the black border.

It suggests to me that something outside the MP is involved. Maybe the graphic driver. Can you check Intel's HD Graphics Control Panel for Video Image Scaling?

The Video Image Scaling was set to OFF in Intel's HD Graphics Control Panel. I have also tried it ON, but I can't see any difference = the black frame still appears.

As this phenomena doesn't happen with all material (some is presented in full screen), this suggests to me that it might be an AR issue. If MePo outputs a resolution that my TV isn't all too happy about, maybe it compensates in some way with a "reversed over scan"?

 

[Pablik]

The screen is stretched horizontally, but not vertically. It seems to me that the video has black bars on top and bottom and TV is trying compensate it by stretching the screen horizontally. Can you play the same scene in VLC or MPC-HC in windowed mode to verify black bars in the video?