VCD questions

Ernie · February 28, 2003, 01:06:54 PM

Ok, I want to buy a VCD off of ebay very soon but first I want to be sure of exactly what they are. I think they are sort of like DVD's but I'm not exactly sure...so I figured at least some of you guys could answer some very simple questions and just give me a short lesson...I tried to word them very easily. So, if you could just help me out here, that would be awesome. Please don't direct me to a search engine or to another site, just give me a straight answer in your own words...I want to talk to a person, alright...so thank you in advance. Try to answer quickly, this auction is ending tommorow. Here are the questions....

1. What exactly are VCD's (simply and briefly)?

2. Are VCD's playable on all DVD players, most DVD players, or few DVD players?

3. If they're not playable on all DVD players...how can I find out if my DVD player will play VCD's? Will it say in the manual (which I have lost)?

4. Are VCD's playable on all computer CD-roms, most computer CD-roms, or few CD-roms?

5. If they're not playable on all computer CD-roms...how can I find out if my comouter CD-rom will play VCD's?

Ok, thank you...please just keep your answers short and sweet so I can order this thing as soon as possible, thanks again.

Ernie · February 28, 2003, 01:23:58 PM

Quote from: mogwai
Quote from: ebeaman691. What exactly are VCD's (simply and briefly)?

2. Are VCD's playable on all DVD players, most DVD players, or few DVD players?

1. Video CD's.

2. All DVD-players.

Really!? Alright, thanks man...love the answers by the way, exactly like I requested. This is sooooo great, this is so much easier than I thought it would be. I thought I would have to find that fucking manual. Thank you very much mogwai.

Jeremy Blackman · February 28, 2003, 03:37:26 PM

Quote from: mogwai2. All DVD-players.

I used to have a cheap Samsung DVD player that didn't play VCDs. But they'd probably be hard to find now.

Ernie · February 28, 2003, 04:13:08 PM

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman
Quote from: mogwai2. All DVD-players.

I used to have a cheap Samsung DVD player that didn't play VCDs. But they'd probably be hard to find now.

I have a 200 dollar Philips one...that's not too cheap, I think it'll play VCD's. I just wish I had one to try just so I could make fucking sure.

EDIT - Thanks mogwai...I just went to that site you linked and did a VCD compatability test of philips DVD players and it said 97% of them support VCD's. Mine has gotta be somewhere in that 97%, it was 200 dollars after all...it better be.

Bud_Clay · February 28, 2003, 04:15:48 PM

Although if you're interested in quality you might like to know vcd's have very unimpressive quality..i bought the vcd to akira kurosawa's "dreams" & it's somewhat pixelated....it's watchable and everything but i think vhs quality is actually better...the only advantage to vcd is it wont wear out like a vhs will in the future.

MacGuffin · February 28, 2003, 04:38:17 PM

Quote from: Bill MaplewoodAlthough if you're interested in quality you might like to know vcd's have very unimpressive quality..i bought the vcd to akira kurosawa's "dreams" & it's somewhat pixelated....it's watchable and everything but i think vhs quality is actually better...the only advantage to vcd is it wont wear out like a vhs will in the future.

March 18 - $14.99 @ Amazon

Bud_Clay · February 28, 2003, 04:55:49 PM

HOLY SHIT....that's absolutely incredible....now i wish i had waited a year....thanks

Xixax · February 28, 2003, 05:20:17 PM

Not all DVD players will play Video CD's.

I make Video CD's a lot, and I've bought a few bootlegs from overseas (Magnolia, SW:E1). The bootlegs are almost always HORRIBLE quality and not worth purchasing unless you just can't wait to see the movie again.

As far as quality goes, they are 1 to 1.5 megabit MPEG1 streams (basically a T1 speed live stream). You can get about an hour of video on a single VCD. My Magnolia discs came in one package with 3 cd's inside.

The quality is roughly equivalent to a EP-speed VHS video. Video CD's are still widely used overseas, and are pretty much the standard there as VHS is (was) here until DVD came along.

The biggest question about Video CD is whether or not it's an official copy from a studio, or a bootleg. The bootlegs are usually made from screener VHS tapes, or from home video cameras snuck into movie theaters. They try to pass these off as "telecin" Video CD's, but the fact is, they're just almost always video taped in a theater full of people.

So in a nutshell, make sure your player is a decent one that will play video CD's, and make sure that the VCD you're buying is an official release, not a bootleg. Keeping these things in mind, you'll probably overall be pretty pleased with what you get - at least until the DVD is issued.

PS: The MPEG videos that we've made and placed online in the "Feature Presentation" section are VideoCD Compliant MPEG streams. That will give you an idea as to the quality, but bear in mind that those files look a lot better when projected on a TV screen than on a computer monitor because of the resolution / interlacing differences.

Ernie · February 28, 2003, 05:37:13 PM

Fuck...I never took the possibility of bad quality into consideration. Oh well, I was just going to buy one to tide me over until the US DVD comes out...assuming and hoping that it does. I guess I don't really need to buy one. Thanks for the heads up Xixax.

Xixax · February 28, 2003, 05:53:56 PM

No, man. Go ahead and get it if it's not a bootleg.

Ernie · February 28, 2003, 06:08:08 PM

Quote from: XixaxNo, man. Go ahead and get it if it's not a bootleg.

I'm not sure whether or not it is...I guess it doesn't look like one. I'm afraid to take the chance.

MacGuffin · March 04, 2003, 10:42:40 AM

DVD review for Akira Kurosawa's Dreams. Click on pic:

Bud_Clay · March 04, 2003, 04:59:04 PM

That's really a shame they arent even putting trailers on the dvd.. I was really hoping it would be criterion that would be releasing Dreams. I don't know why any other company doesnt really care about the films they are releasing unless it's something that is praised by a large audience. It's sickening that certain films are only available in shit quality because a company like mgm has the license over criterion & they don't even give the films the release they truly deserve. I guess i'm speaking the obvious though.

Stringstroker · April 06, 2003, 04:24:30 PM

OK, new question. What is the easiest way to convert files and Make vcds? I need to know how to convert files (mostly from avi to MPEG).

sphinx · April 06, 2003, 05:42:34 PM

you have come to the right place! i was burdened with the same problem you were until i discovered a wonderous little program called TMPGEnc. it convert avis to mpegs, and actually has settings for VCDs and SVCDs and allows you to set how much space you want the file to take up, and it'll automatically adjust the bitrate and stuff. if you're a pro, you can set all those settings up for yourself and hope it turns out. converting full length movies takes at least 5 or 6 hours if you've got a slower computer, and if you want high quality, you're going to have to split the movie in two, which TMPGEnc also allows you to do. after you've converted it, you can use a program like NERO to help you burn it.

http://www.tmpgenc.net/