Well using a 'new' computer, i notice that both TMPGEnc has a fresh mpg2 trial period, and the version of Nero installed appears to have all the bells and whistles including SVCD burning. So I makes the MPG2 file from a repeat dvd rip of another vcd, muxes in the existing VCD audio properly, and makes the SVCD with a simple one-graphic "menu" (well.. intro/title) screen.
Now it all goes strange; whereas i'm sure it all worked fine (apart from some corruption due to a dodgy quant matrix) last time this opportunity arose, this time... 1/ The menu is heavily crapped up - vertically skewed by at least a good 30 pixels per line block, in 2-, 3- or 4-line blocks.... 2/ The audio is out of sync by about a half second and the film cannot be easily searched.

arrrrrghh... please tell me its all due to nero, and when the necessary temp disc space returns, VCDEasy will make it all better? or is it the stoopid dvd player giving up it's chips?