hybrid VCD idea - suggestions please...

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Would it be possible to stick an MPEG file in the root directory of a VCD and still have a white-book compliant VCD (one that would still run on DVD and VCD players)? I'm only dealing with a 15 to 20 minute video so I could easily fit two versions of it onto a CD. I want total universality yet I've read a post here stating that QuickTime and Media Player for Macs won't play .dat files. Could someone varify whether this is in fact the case?

Anyway, I had an idea that since VCDs can apparently live with other files in the root directory, why not bung in an .mpg. And while we're at it, why not make it a high bitrate version that would look even better on 'puters? Autorun would be easier to implement since Media Player / Windows should recognise an .mpg file. Has anyone tried this solution or does anyone have some ideas about the feasibility of such an approach?

Frank Marshall.

-- Frank Marshall (new_wave@one.net.au), July 01, 2000

Answers

Hmm that sounds interesting. But its only a matter of somehow getting the mpg into the other folders, which many programs do not let you do at all

-- Doug (mazinz@aol.com), July 01, 2000.

Hi, It is possible to do what you want to with that VCD. Just use Nero 4 or higher and drop that file into your VCD layout (where the directories are). Then drop the other MPEG file into the VCD Track Layout, and it will convert it to DAT. All you have to do after that is burn, and it should work fine.

-- Mr.Ian Roswell (cyberlien51@juno.com), July 02, 2000.

Thanks Ian,

Do you know what the story with Macs is? A Mac user's just posted here stating Star Wars VCD played fine but Platoon doesn't. So confusing; can QuickTime/Macs play VCDs or not?

Thanks again...

-- Frank Marshall (new_wave@one.net.au), July 03, 2000.


Heres the story, Quicktime can read all Legal MPEG 1 files. The problem that is described with Platoon lies not in the file itself but in the disc. It seems that some of the newer commercially produced VCD's are using a somwhat "un-kosher" ISO format that the MAC OS CD ROM driver can not read properly from. This problem can be fixed by installing CD/DVD ROM Speed Tools, a forty dollar program from Intech USA, this can be purchased directly as a download from www.intechusa.com. I do not think that and amatuer VCD authoring programs exibhit this problem. Andy

-- Andrew (andgarden@yahoo.com), July 04, 2000.

Thanks Andrew,

BTW, which version of QuickTime is needed? Will 2.5 do the trick? (with MPEG extension?) Do 4 and 3 play VCDs without MPEG extension?

Frank.

-- Frank Marshall (new_wave@one.net.au), July 05, 2000.



Yes, Any version of QuickTime above 2.5 wil work. 3.0 and up do not require the MPEG extension.

Andy

-- Andrew (andgarden@yahoo.com), July 06, 2000.


Many thanks Andrew.

Frank.

-- Frank Marshall (new_wave@one.net.au), July 07, 2000.


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