CVD and I-Author

[Hyper Shinchan]

I've heard that the authoriting software I-Author make SVCD and CVD with the folder called MPEGAV like a VCD instead of MPEG2 like in the normal SVCD (you can also make it with Nero Burning Rom and VCD Easy, it's usefull for some chinese player); I was thinking if this folder (and also a different name for a system file, the entry point) was the original spec. of the CVD, wath do you think, am I right?
P.S.: but there is some way to get this software? The webistes don't work anymore.

[adam]

This is really a history question more than anything else

I'm making a guess here based on known facts described here:
http://www.uwasa.fi/~f76998/video/svcd/overview/

SVCD and CVD were consolidated into a new standard called Super-VCD. It is the Super-VCD standard that recieved IEC specification and what we all think of today, despite the fact that most people still refer to them as SVCDs. As far as I know, the actual SVCD standard never existed anywhere but on paper.

In I-Author the option to place the video track in the mpegav directory is labeled "SVCD" and the option to place it in the mpeg2 directory is labeled "Super-VCD."

Based on this, it seems like the old SVCD standard placed the video track in the mpegav directory and the CVD standard actually placed it in the mpeg2 directory, and then when consolidated into Super-VCD they opted for mpeg2. So I don't think I-Author creates CVDs at all. It creates SVCDs and the CVD/SVCD hybrid known as Super-VCDs.

I don't have a clue where you'd find I-Author now. Its buggy as hell and incredibly outdated, but it was still a very cool authoring program until VCDEasy became fully developed.

If you really want more answers you could always purchase the Super-VCD IEC specs and see if they mention specifics about CVD and SVCD. I think they run about $50.

[Hyper Shinchan]

Thank you adam, I think that probably you are right. Yhe newest standard is the Chao ji Video CD, that it's compatible with both CVD and SVCD, and it's used by the asian player, my player accept SVCD and CVD with both the folder, the old MPEGAV and the new (and Philips's official) MPEG2, there were also another standard HQ-VCD supported by the Philips SVCD toolkit, but it's a professional and I don't know many other things about it (the resoluition and folder's name for example).

[adam]

HQ-VCD put the video track in a folder named HQ_VCD. Its weird. When the 3 standards were competing the government backed HQ-VCD. But then when CVD and SVCD were cosolidated this was the one that was standardized internationally. HQ-VCD still exists its just hardly used.

If you want more information on HQ-VCD then check out the documentation that comes with vcdimager. It goes into alot of detail regarding folder structure etc... with all of these formats (vcd, svcd, cvd, hq-vcd).

[Hyper Shinchan]

Tnx adam, I will check it out now!