Want to use save to VCR to dump to my HTPC but I have a problem....

[SeanC]

I posted this at AVS but I didn't get any responses so I thought I'd try the S3 forum.

I have my S3 hooked up to my HTPC with a ATI Theater 550 via S-Video.

When watching widescreen HD content that is being passed from the S3 to the HTPC everything looks great. When I record, the widescreen gets squished into 4:3.

I've tried recording with MCE and PowerCinema4 and 5.

I'm not even sure if what I want to do is possible.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[aaronwt]

Try changing the output of the S3 to 4:3. This is what I had to do on my HR10-250, but I haven't noticed any problems like that going from my S3 boxes to a dvd recorder.

[Necro]

I think it letterboxes it when you choose save to VCR. I seem to remember reading a tip from tivopony on this.

[mitkraft]

when you say "it gets squished to 4:3" I'm assuming that the video file you get when you are done plays in the wrong aspect ratio? (i.e., there are no bars or anything, the signal is all there, but its squished?)

The problem isn't your Tivo. It is the recorder. It's not that the signal is being changed or squished, its that its being marked as 4x3 so when you play it back, its being played as 4x3. In some versions of ATI software you can go into the settings and specify the aspect ratio of the incomming signal. That is something I recently discovered when I rebuilt my All-In-Wonder PC. I don't think previous version of ATI MMC had that.

The other thing you can do (and its what I used to do when going Tivo->ATI->editing->DVD) is to find a program that will patch the video file to change the header from 4x3 to 16x9. If you are recording in mpg format then this is easy. I think I used to use "DVD Patcher". I think AVI patching apps are pretty easy to find as well. I'm not sure about other formats.

If I'm on the right track and you still have questions let me know.