VCD and SVCD on DVD Player

[dpaylor]

Hi All,

Sorry if I am a bit of a novice here but have read through the "How To" and checked compatibility etc but still not found what I need.

I am writing photograph stills to a CD in order to view on a TV via DVD. I have tried both VCD and SVCD but both fail to play on the DVD.

The DVD is a H&B 5415S and checking the compatibility it seems that it should play VCD or SVCD. With VCD the message is check that the DVD is compatible with VCD 2.0. From looking at the manual it seems to be? With SVCD, I get a file/folder type menu. Some of the files play the attached audio but no pictures, the others give an error message about PBC. I have looked at the DVD manual but it does not seem very helpful other than telling me the PBC button is for playback control?

I have tried the SVCD in another DVD player succcessfully (and also without the file/foler menu) so suspect that it is the DVD player.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Is there a firmware patch that I can apply?

Dave

[David K]

SVCD is supported by very few standalone DVD players. Does your manual say your player supports it?

Also, the software you use to create the VCD or SVCD makes a crucial difference. VCD has two formats 1.0 (or 1.1) and 2.0. Make sure your software is using the 2.0.

The best software for VCD and SVCD creation is VCDEasy. Many people have problems with Nero (although it is good for many other things.) If you are not already, try using VCDEasy to author your VCD and SVCD discs and see it that works.

[dpaylor]

Thanks for the response.

The manual does not really seem to say a lot about formats at all though the search on this site said that it is OK with SVCD.

The software is certainly writing VCD v2.0 - the error message on the DVD player is to check that the DVD player is compatible with VCD2.0. The manual seems to indicate that this is the case.

The SVCD was written by Photodex Proshow http://www.photodex.com/products/proshow/ to an image and then burnt by Nero. The VCD was written directly to the CD by DVD Photo Slideshow http://www.dvd-photo-slideshow.com/.

I had not heard of VCD Easy so will take a look at it.

Thanks again . . .

[David K]

I understand now that you are using specialty programs to create video slide shows. I thought you were making generic VCD video. If you want the features of Photodex, you're stuck with the VCD it outputs, which appears to be incompatible with your current DVD player. VCDEasy has slideshow capability but it is more complicated to use.

[dpaylor]

Hmmmm . . .

Took a quick look at VCD Easy though have not tried to burn and play on the DVD yet. My main concern is the interface as it is my wife that enjoys doing this.

At this rate I am probably going to have to purchase a new DVD player!

Dave

[dpaylor]

Hi,

Just out of interest, I have tried another bit of software called Photo2VCD. This has burnt a SVCD that works fine on the DVD player.

One quick question - it is worth trying to write an image from one of the other solutions and then trying something like VCD Easy rather than Nero to burn it? I am really not sure if this would make any difference?

Dave

[David K]

I think the problem is not with the burning but with the authoring, that is the way the program structures the files, creates the navigation links etc. VCDEasy isn't really a burning program. It creates bin/cue files that can be burned by various burning applications. Nero can sucessfully burn a bin/cue file created by VCDEasy for example. The problems I was talking about with Nero is when it is used to author the Disc, not burn it.

Whenever you're talking about anything complicated with SVCD authoring, like Menus and slideshows, the program has to create a complicated structure that cannot easily be exported and used in another program (like say a simple mpeg video file can be.)

Is there any reason you're avoiding creating DVD slideshows. These would have the greater compatiblily you're looking for. As much as I enjoyed making SVCDs in the old days, SVCD really is a dying format, now that DVD burners are mainstream.

[dpaylor]

Hi David,

Thanks for explaining a bit about authoring vs burning - I must confess that it is an area in which I have very little knowledge!

I do not have 3 different CDRW but no DVD writer at the moment which is the only reason that I am avoiding the DVD slideshows. If I purchase a DVD writer will this solve the issues I am having? Will my DVD player be able to cope with the DVDs that I write or will I end up in yet another spiral of having to buy a new DVD player to cope?

Dave

[David K]

Hard to say for sure. You can check the compatibility reports for your DVD writer on this site. Best way would be to borrow some burned DVD writeables from a friend and try them on your current player.

If your DVD player is a year or so old, then chances are that it will play DVD writeables. If it is older then the chances go down. But some very old players will play them. My brother in law had a first generation player that would play all the DVD writeable formats (but couldn't play home-burned VCDs or SVCDs.)

The advantage to using DVDs is that it makes it easier to play them on other people's players (showing your slideshows to relatives and friends when visiting) SVCD has the least support of any of the optical formats now.

With DVD burners getting so cheap, it makes sense to make the plunge.