Can I play this music VCD on my DVD player? (1 Viewer)

[KeithH]

Let me start off by saying that I have no VCDs and have never researched them before. Anyway, I saw a European VCD of Duran Duran Greatest at a local store today and was very close to picking it up. I am a big Duran Duran fan and have been waiting for a DVD to come out with their classic videos. The VCD looked to be a nice alternative. However, the jewel case says that it is a PAL disc, but SECAM in France. Doesn't this mean that I will not be able to play it on my Sony DVP-C670D DVD player? Why would a store in the US have a VCD if it doesn't have NTSC video?

 

[KeithH]

Anybody?

 

[Keith Mickunas]

If having PAL isn't a problem (and I think it may be) you'll need a player capable of playing VCD. A lot of players are, but not all. Your's should say if it supports it in the manual. However don't be surprised if this VCD is a major disappointment. A VCD is just a CD with MPEG-1 video on it. It can't be very long (half-hour I think) and the quality is poor.

 

[KeithH]

Keith, thanks for the info. I have a Sony DVP-C670D DVD changer, and I believe it is compatible with VCDs. However, I can't see how it would play the Duran Duran VCD, which says it is a PAL disc and SECAM in France. As I said before, I can't understand why a store in the US would have this disc if it can't be played on NTSC players. Anyway, I have heard that the video quality on VCDs isn't very good. The disc intrigues me, however, since I like Duran Duran's classic videos from the '80s and there are no Duran Duran DVDs out. Still, I don't think the VCD is worth $35, even if it will definitely play on my DVD player.

 

[Philip Hamm]

WHat the hell, try it. If it won't play in your DVD player (It may not) it will probably play on a computer.

 

[KeithH]

Philip, thanks for the info., but I don't have an interest on playing the VCD on my computer. The Duran Duran VCD in question is $35, and before I will fork over any dough, I will have to find out if the store will take it back for a refund if it won't play on my DVD player. Of course, stores generally don't give refunds for opened software, but the store might in this case because I doubt highly that they will be able to tell me in advance if it will work on my player.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

A VCD is just a CD with MPEG-1 video on it. It can't be very long (half-hour I think) and the quality is poor.

Well, not exactly. Saying a VCD is just a CD with MPEG-1 video on it is like saying a DVD is just a DVD-R with MPEG-2 video on it. There are considerably more files that just the video stream to make it readable on DVD/VCD players and the stream itself has several specific properties. Also, the length is dependent on the CD. A 700 MB CD-R for example will support 80 minutes of VCD stream. (The files themselves will end up being over 700 MB, but the VCD burn process works differently than the data burn process, similiar to burning audio CD's)
As for quality, a PAL VCD supports a resolution of 352x288 and an NTSC VCD supports a resolution of 352x240. So don't expect anything near DVD quality picture. Audio is in stereo.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Oh, one other thing... you can check your instruction/setup manual to see if your player supports PAL VCDs. According to VCDhelp.com, your DVD player does support VCD playback but doesn't support most CD-R media. Since this is manufactured rather than burned, you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[KeithH]

Adam, thanks for all the info. Very much appreciated. I was pretty sure the Sony DVP-C670D plays VCDs, but I wasn't sure about the PAL thing. The 'C670D doesn't play CD-Rs, but as you said, the Duran Duran disc I am interested in is a pre-recorded VCD, so hopefully it will work.