Does PlayStation2 play VCD or SVCD?

[pnoeth]

Does PlayStation2 play VCD or SVCD?
Thanks.

[adam]

No it does not.

[d4n13l]

Why does this question get endlessly asked?
Did you search the forum before you posted?
If you did, then you would know the answer.

[pnoeth]

As a matter of fact, I did search the forum and I did not find the answer. Perhaps I don't know how to use the search or perhaps it wasn't working properly. Either way, the four words from the previous message told me exactly what I wanted to know and I appreciate the helpful response.

I am sorry for any inconvenience.

On 2001-11-20 14:38:53, d4n13l wrote:
Why does this question get endlessly asked?
Did you search the forum before you posted?
If you did, then you would know the answer.

[/quote]

[alucard2050]

here's what i don't understand. ps2 plays dvd's. and of course a standalone dvd player plays dvd's. dvd's are at a very high bitrate correct? or am i wrong? if they are at a high bitrate then why can't they read vcd's or svcd's at that high of a bitrate? i would have learned something new tonight..........

[Shabubu]

According the the MPEG guys, all MPEG2 decoders MUST be able to decode mpeg1 streams. This is all well and good, the PS2 decoder is able to read an MPEG 1 stream. The problem is that the sony guys decided not to let the PS2 understand the VCD/SVCD file structure, thus it shows up as an unrecognised disc. Thus in answer to your question, the PS2 should be able to play VCD/SVCD, but it DOESN'T.

There are reports of some chinese ps2's being able to, though I don't know how true they are.

[alucard2050]

not understanding the file structure makes sense but what about dvd players and the bitrate. i know its kinda off the original topic but i figured while i was here might as well ask. also, the dreamcast plays vcd's. i don't own one but now they are so cheap and have a couple of games i'd like to get but i'm curious as to the quality and max bitrate they have...

[MrDilemma]

Ok. So the PS2 CAN read the mpeg1 stream. So my question is how do we get the ps2 to read mpegs? Can ps2 read programs? IE. gyplay. The ps2 can read mp3s right? So in theory, all we would have to do is create a program that would either make the ps2 read the vcd format or read the mpeg1 format. Lets get some feed back. This seems interesting.

[bilbogod]

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.granavenida.com/vcdspai...%3Den%26sa%3DG

[Shabubu]

Ya see that would be nice, but then you'd have to go to sony, ask them for there development kit, write your proggie, then get them to press it so that the PS2 will recognize it as a real PS2 prog.

There are reports of a Linux port coming to PS2, it's planned for release as a kit with a HD and keyboard. Then there's much more chance of a seuccesful VCD player being made, till then I'd leave the PS2 for games, and the DVD player for DVD's/VCD's

[bilbogod]

http://www.playstationchips.co.uk/cgi-bin/ax.pl?http://www.fone-logos.co.uk/jpsx-ps2vcd.rar
Try this link before the one above. Provide feedback if you can get this to work. Seems like you have to fool the psx2 into thinking it has a dvd when it utilises a vcd (i.e restructuring dvd format (ifo's etc) on a vcd.

[d4n13l]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-11-20 21:35:11, pnoeth wrote:
As a matter of fact, I did search the forum and I did not find the answer. Perhaps I don't know how to use the search or perhaps it wasn't working properly. Either way, the four words from the previous message told me exactly what I wanted to know and I appreciate the helpful response.

I am sorry for any inconvenience.
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>
Perhaps when you read the same questions over and over again you will understand. The point is that it wastes bandwidth, I am just glad that I am not the one paying for the bandwidth that repeated questions consume. I can remember a very recent post that covered all of this.

[MrDilemma]

bilbogod, that link gives an uncomplete download. The rar file is corrupt. And do you know anyone who has tried that? Will it play the movie for more than 15 minutes? Hows the quality? And how long will the whole process take? Thnx

[adam]

Mpeg2 decoders themselves are required to be backward compatible with mpeg1 but that in no way means that any hardware player that can decode mpeg2 can also decode mpeg1. You can take an mpeg2 decoder chip and put it in a toaster if you want and the chip itself is still capable of decoding both mpeg2 and mpeg1 files, but obviously that toaster isnt going to be able to play vcds or svcds. Maybe a better analogy would be my computer. Does my pc have the capability to read and play a divx file? Yes but without the necessary software (divx codec) there is no way to get it to play. Unfortunately adding the codec to my pc is much easier than adding the required software to a gaming console. I have said this numerous times, the PS2 cannot decode mpeg1 files. The software needed simply is not there.

There is no version of PS2 ever released anywhere that can play vcds or svcds. The very first Asian release of the psone had vcd support and was quickly removed for a number of reasons. I think people are confusing this with the PS2.

The psone was able to play vcds with either a hardware addon or with the installation of an internal chip. These methods implemented the mpeg1 decoding software that the hardware needed.

This was the same situation with the dreamcast except that the software was implemented on the movie disk itself but only because the DC was powerful enough to handle it, at least to some degree. I believe there were other, better methods for vcd playing on the DC but I am not very familiar with that console.

The link bilbogod posted actually has nothing to do with vcds or svcds. It is simply a collection of encoding tools to encode your movie files into PSS, which is the file format that the PS2 uses for FMV's. When the console loads this disk it basically thinks that it is a game, at which point it is instructed to play the media file on it. If you were to take the PSS file off of an original PS2 game and author it on a disk with coding to load it, then it would be the exact same thing. Compared to vcds and svcds the compression is much worse meaning that if you want decent quality you will only get about 15 mins per disk. Perhaps there is a physical limit to the runtime of PSS files limiting it to 15 mins, I don't know. But I assume you could fit as much runtime as you wanted, but the quality would make it unwatchable.

The bottom line is this, the PS2 absolutely will not play vcds or svcds. I assure you that you will be able to play both of these formats sometime in the future. This will be done in at least one of the following ways...

1) Software will be included on the movie disk itself much like gyplay for the DC.

2) software will be added through a memory card hack. (very unlikely)

3) software will be loaded onto the upgradable hardrive. (Probably most likley)

4) software will be loaded through a hacked firmware upgrade (very unlikely)

5) software will be added through a hardware addon or internal chip (very likely.)

Anyone who wants to keep up to date with this needs to visit sites dedicated to the PS2. I assure you, the second a viable method to play vcds or svcds on the PS2 is developed it will definitely make headlines.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: adam on 2001-11-21 23:03:43 ]</font>

[TurboRunner]

Hi,

If it is backward compatable but it can't play it because it does not reckonise the vcd file structure then maybe get the mpeg1 files and put it in the dvd structure which should trick ps2 of thinking its a dvd

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font size=-1>Quote:</font><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT SIZE=-1><BLOCKQUOTE>
On 2001-11-20 22:26:25, Shabubu wrote:
According the the MPEG guys, all MPEG2 decoders MUST be able to decode mpeg1 streams. This is all well and good, the PS2 decoder is able to read an MPEG 1 stream. The problem is that the sony guys decided not to let the PS2 understand the VCD/SVCD file structure, thus it shows up as an unrecognised disc. Thus in answer to your question, the PS2 should be able to play VCD/SVCD, but it DOESN'T.
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR size=1 color=black></TD></TR></TABLE>

[adam]

The PS2, along with pretty much any piece of hardware that can read multiple formats, first checks the format of the disk. The software it loads is dependant on the type of disk. So if you stick in a cdr it says ok is this a game or an audio cd. If it doesnt recognize it as one or the other than it won't play it.

Even if you used a dvd-r and had it burned using the vcd structure it still wouldnt play as a vcd because as I already stated, the PS2 has no mpeg1 decoding software.

[Sir Kopelot]

Let's make an old topic die Hard!

Conrats on the extensive research and long reply Adam!
It was verry intense reading the topic!

Who knows what the future holds for the PS2's capabilities to encode MPEG1 or 2 or eaven 4....

But just a side note as of the Dec. 3rd on the web officialy
are flying arrownd posts that DVD-R's properrly coded will
be playing succesfully!

[homerpez]

The reason why the question gets asked so often, is that maybe we want something done about it!

I've never asked myself, since I know it won't so far. But the reason it gets asked, is WE WANT SOMEONE WORKING ON IT! Now, I don't mean Sony, because we know they want as much as possible on the PS2 proprietary... I'm surprised, actually, to see DVD pretty much fully supported... I think we're all hoping for someone to come out with some swap disc, external program patch (or however that could work) for there to be some software solution to the hardware problem. Just like a PC; it doesn't read SVCD's out of the box either. You need a software player.

So, on that note, are there any Playstation 2 emulators for the PC?

[Macros746]

Unfortuately, it will take a LONG time before we even have the computing power to emulate the PS2. The PS2 is VERY powerful, graphic concentrated, hardware with WEIRD architechture. There will likely be an X-Box emulator long before a PS2 emulator.....if there ever is a PS2 emulator. Remember it took a 400 mhz machine to run Bleem really well and PS-one only has a 33 mhz processor!

Macros