VCD playback in DVD players

[Jeeny]

Since I do not have a DVD burner on my computer I was wondering if there was a way I could burn my .mpg files onto a data CD and watch them in my DVD player. My friend claims his movies play in the DVD player when he does this. My DVD player doesn't do that. My DVD player says it supports Video CD format (I assume that means VCD) so I was wondering if I could convert my movies to VCD format somehow and burn them to a disc to watch. Any help would be appreciated. I basically need a way to get my MPG movies to play in my DVD player without the use of a DVD burner (if it's possible).

[terryj]

Toast 6 or Toast 7.
Select "Video" tab,
select Video CD.
Drag and drop mpeg.
Burn.

[maetel99]

Keep in mind that Video CDs only support MPEG-1, at a resolution (I believe) of 320x240. If your MPEG files are MPEG-2 or at a larger frame size than that, they will have to be re-encoded at the Video CD quality level.

I think Video CD audio is MPEG-1 Layer II (note this is NOT the standard MP3, which is Layer III). Again, anything different will have to be re-encoded.

[thoughton]

Also, check if your DVD player will play Super VCDs. Most modern ones do, and the quality is a bazillion times better than an ordinary VCD, and you can still fit around 40 minutes per CD.

[Jeeny]

Alright well I used ffmpegx to turn my mpg into a VCD and the end result is I get an mpg file, and mp2 file, and a mpv file. Which of these do I burn onto a disc to watch? Do I need special CD's to burn onto? If none of this works, would it be possible for me to get a DVD player that plays MPG's burned onto a data disc?

[Case]

The mp2 file (MPEG-1 layer 2 audio) and mpv (MPEG-1 video in this case) are temporary files, and later combined into the mpg file. You should use the latter to burn. You can use any CD-R(W) that your player accepts for VCD -- some players are picky about certain brands and types. Check user experiences on your model of player for more info. Few players accept MPEGs on a data disc, far less than standard VCD compatibility.

Edit: ffmpegX post-processing can create a disc image for easy burning.
Tools > Author > Author as: VCD (bin/cue).

[rumplestiltskin]

Use VCD Builder (found here: http://homepage.mac.com/johan/VCD%20Builder.dmg ). It will take either mpeg-1 or mpeg-2 files and turn them, respectively, into VCD and SVCD images that it will automatically pass to Toast for burning. Donationware.

[Jeeny]

So do I just take the mpg file alone and burn it onto a disc? How am I supposed to burn it? Do I just drag it onto the blank disk on my desktop and then click burn?

[rumplestiltskin]

Re-read my post. Then do what it says. Then read the documentation for VCD Builder.