CAN'T burn a VCD from an MPEG using Nero 5.5

[imrealdumb]

Hi,

I've been trying my best to read and not ask dumb questions, but I'm stumped.

I have a few video files (AVIs and MPEGs) that appear to be "compliant" (and I've used TMPGEnc to "convert" them to MPEGs to just to be safe.

I have a normal CD burner and Nero 5.5 and I'm able to burn a VCD without a hitch (the files appear "satisfactory" for conversion, and the process appears to be errorless). I haven't touched any defaults, so it's NTSC, etc.

But when I insert the CD into my DVD player, nothing registers. I've tried a couple of DVD players, including my Sony DVP S330 player, but neither of them can read the CD.

When I try viewing the CDs on my PC, the disc doesn't run either. When I look in the directory, all I see are seemingly empty folders labelled: CDI, EXT, MPEGAV, SEGMENT and VCD. The disc definitely is "full" with over 500 MB of something.

I've tried it 2-3x, but all I make are coasters. Am I missing something fundamental here? Thanks with any help out there.

[reboot]

What settings are you using in TMPGEnc?
Are you positive your player can play VCD?
If they don't play on your computer, what are you using to play them in, is it Windows Media Player, or some other software?
Is Nero attempting to re-encode your mpegs before burning?

[au7usa]

Does your DVD player support the VCD format?

[au7usa]

The compatability list shows the Sony as not liking CDR's.
https://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers.php?DVDnameid=423&Search=Search&#comments

The first comment says:
"I've had this player a long time and I like it. I've created VCD with Easy CD-Creator 4 and now with Ulead DVD MovieFactory 2 SE. They always play on this machine as long as I use CD-R/W."

[imrealdumb]

Guys,

Thanks for the replies.

1. Yes, the DVD player is supposed to be able to play VCDs (that's what it says on the outside). My other one is a Go-Video unit, and I THINK it's also VCD compatible. Neither one will read the VCDs I've created.

2. I haven't touched any of the options in Nero - I've basically just dropped the MPEG into the directory and burned it.

3. If I created a good VCD and I can't view on my DVD unit, shouldn't I be able to view it on my PC as is? My default viewer is WMP, but I've tried viewing the newly-made VCD with Divx as well - no dice.

4. I thought SONYs were good units for using CD-Rs, but maybe not. They play my audio CD-Rs without a problem.

What am I missing? Is there another program out there I should use to create VCDs? I downloaded a trial version of Blaze Media, but it says my MPEG is too big.

I know I should just get a DVD burner, but I'm waiting for prices to continue to fall, and I have a ton of CD-Rs that I can use.

Help!

[au7usa]

Try a CD/RW like is says in the comments.
https://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers.php?DVDnameid=423&Search=Search&#comments

1rst comment on compatability page says:
"They always play on this machine as long as I use CD-R/W."

To view it on your PC as a Video CD use Media Player Classic.
File / Open CD-Rom.. / TestVCD (or whatever the name)

[imrealdumb]

I see what you're saying. I'll try a CD-RW and report back.

Meanwhile, shouldn't this VCD that I burned onto a CD-R work on my PC?

[reboot]

It should, providing you have actually authored a VCD.
If Blaze complains that it's too big, then something is wrong, and I suspect you have authored a file that cannot fit on a CDR, and although Nero says it's burned, it may be attempting to overburn, without letting you know, and that may not play in anything.
Overburns may be ok for data, but they wreak havoc on hardware dvd players.

[au7usa]

To play VCD on a PC as a VCD you need VCD player software. To play the files in the "MPEGAV" folder (*.DAT) you can use Windows Media Player.

Media Player Classic can handle both jobs.
https://www.videohelp.com/tools?tool=220#comments

Loading and playing as a VCD should give you an idea of whether you burned the disc correctly as "reboot" pointed out.

To Play VCD in Media Player Classic;
File / Open CD-Rom.. / TestVCD (or whatever the name)

[imrealdumb]

Ok, sorry for the panic attack.

I just tried WMP, and was able to watch the video from the VCD I created.

I'll pick up a CD-RW and try it again. Thanks for your patience and help.

[imrealdumb]

Success!

Using a CD-RW did the trick.

Thanks to everyone who took the time.

[reboot]

I guess you'll be in the market for a new dvdplayer
https://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers