What makes an SVCD and SVCD?

[vice86]

Wouldn't burning a VCD at a higher bit rate just make that an SVCD? or is there specifics to an SCVD. If just burning a VCD at a higher bitrate makes it an SVCD...why would you need a DVD player capable of playing SVCD if its basically a VCD?

[adam]

Vcd and Svcd are totally different standards with totally different parameters. Click on the vcd and svcd links to your left to get a general idea of the differences.

The main difference is that vcd uses mpeg1 and svcd uses mpeg2. If you increase the resolution or bitrate of a vcd then it is an xvcd, which basically just means that it goes outside of the vcd specs. A disk authored in this way has no guarantee of being able to be played on any hardware player.

[vice86]

OH YEAH..thats right...XVCD...i've been away from here for awhile...forgot all this stuff. Is SVCD a lot better in quality then an XVCD?...I first started making XVCDs when I had my 32" tv and I thought it looked great, but now I have a 65" Mitsu widescreen and was concerned about an XVCDs quality...a little grainy and stuff but watchable....i want to get into making SVCDs now since I have a bigger tv and want to know if I'm alright with an XVCD movie's quality, will I be really happy with SVCD movie quality?

[adam]

At the same settings an xvcd and a svcd would look identical, well at least in theory. The advantage that svcd has is that any svcd compatible dvd player can play it.

Since svcd uses mpeg2 it does have certain features than an xvcd cannot such as up to 4 toggleable subtitles, up to two stereo audio tracks or a single multichannel mpeg audio stream, and interlaced video. If you don't use these features then xvcd should serve your purposes fine, if your dvd player accepts a high enough bitrate for you.

As far as the quality of svcds, I make svcds and play them on my 50 inch tv and am very satisfied with the quailty. My friends and family see no difference between my svcds and my dvds.

[vice86]

thanks.

Yeah..regular folk wouldn't really be able to see a difference between an XVCD and DVD but ofcourse we could.....same with my wife...she doesn't see any real dif....I could hook up a million dollar Home Theater system and my wife still wouldn't hear any difference...I hate that.