Apple Final Cut Pro 6 - Manual (Page 1159)

374 Part II Effects
SD NTSC pixels are taller than computer pixels and SD PAL pixels are wider than
computer pixels. As a result, a 720 x 480 pixel image looks different (taller) on an NTSC
video monitor than it does on a computer display. For example, if you capture a clip of
video with a globe in the picture, export a frame, and look at this frame in a graphics
application, you’ll see something like this:
The Viewer and the Canvas let you display non-square pixel video correctly on the
computer’s display. You can choose this option by choosing Show As Sq. Pixels from
the Zoom pop-up menu in both windows.
Pixel Aspect Ratios in HD Video
Uncompressed HD video transferred via an HD-SDI signal has pixel dimensions of
either 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080. However, HD video recorded on tape is often
horizontally compressed to reduce the data rate. DVCPRO HD, HDV, and HDCAM are
three examples of formats whose native horizontal dimensions are squeezed. For
example, 1080i60 DVCPRO HD is 1280 x 1080. 1080i50 DVCPRO HD is 1440 x 1080.
Because of the discrepancy in dimensions even within a single format, it’s usually best
to create HD graphics at either 1920 x 1080 or 1280 x 720, depending on your final
output format. If you are uncertain which HD format you plan to output to, you can
always be safe by creating your graphics at the largest size possible (1920 x 1080) and
then scaling down if necessary.
Looks right
on a video monitor
NTSC square vs. non-square pixels example
Looks wrong
on a computer monitor