cannot view vcd on computer

[beren]

I created a vcd using Roxio Easy CD 6. I can view it fine with Media Player 9 on my computer running XP, but I cannot view it on my computer running Windows 98.
There too, I'm using Media Player 9. I navigated to the mpeg file in My Computer, and tried to open it, but it doesn't open, and in Windows 98 there doesn't seem to be an Open With option.
Any ideas?

[GodOfKnowledge]

To get the Open With menu in Windows 98, press Shift while rightclicking your file. I think you should use a DVD player software to watch your (S)VCDs, WMP is always shitty.

[Craig Tucker]

If its a VCD there should be a dat file not an mpeg file on the disc.

[mats.hogberg]

WMP can't play VCD. It might play the mpeg that's the audio/viodeo part of a VCD, but that's it. A software DVD player like PowerDVD can play VCD tho...

/Mats

[beren]

Thank you all for your replies.

You are correct; it does show up as a DAT file; I was under the impression though, that it's encoded as MPEG-1.

Anyhow, I changed the Open With to WMP, and the VCD now plays on WMP. However, the weird thing is that I can only open it by from within My Computer. But if I simply open WMP, it doesn't recognize the disc in the CD drive. Is there some way to have the VCD automatically open in WMP when it's inserted?

I can't play it in DVD software because this computer doesn't have a DVD drive.

Thank you.

[mats.hogberg]

I can't play it in DVD software because this computer doesn't have a DVD drive.

Wasn't aware that software DVD players needed DVD hardware, but that might actually be the fact (even if it doesn't make sense). Have you tried the free VLC media player / VideoLan?

/Mats

[GodOfKnowledge]

You don't need a DVD-drive to have a DVD player program installed, so try that out! You said you were impressed 'cause the file was MPEG-1, in fact all VCD's use MPEG-1 coding.

[Craig Tucker]

Is there some way to have the VCD automatically open in WMP when it's inserted?

No you have to open the dat file.

[mats.hogberg]

It seems to be a common misconception that VCD is suitable for computer playback - it isn't. The reason for taking all the measures and steps in creating a VCD in the first place, is to make the video playable on a stand alone DVD player. For computer playback there are other more computer centric formats (such as a raw mpg)

/Mats

[beren]

I had no idea that VCD wasn't meant for computer playback.

So if I want to create a CD that will play a video upon being inserted into the computer, do I simply put an MPEG1 file on the CD? Or is there something else I need to do?

[mats.hogberg]

do I simply put an MPEG1 file on the CD?

Yes.

Or is there something else I need to do?

In principle no, but you might want to make some kind of autorun stuff with a simple HTML menu, or start playing the mpg with WMP or...

/Mats

[beren]

Thank you Mats.

I hate to be a pain, but what sort of program would I use to create an HTML autorun menu? I am not versed in these things.

Thank you.

[mats.hogberg]

Never done that, so maybe someone who has can recommend something?

/Mats