The end is near SVCD & VCD is dead??

[danmanx]

As much as I love VCD, yes...it's dead...SVCD never really took off and MPEG-4 is far superior...hardware support is coming! That's it! MPEG-4 rules! Wooo!

Oops...except my problem is the EXTREME CPU requirements....but that's progress I guess for the incredible resolution!

[snowmoon]

[edit: wrong thread wrong rant]

With the userbase and distribution channels availible VCD and SVCD will hardly die, in fact I think they will continue to grow untill bandwidth becomes a whole lot cheaper.

[vitualis]

I thought FMD was commercially dead? Shame... <-- comment to snowmoon's rant which apparently was in the wrong thread...

Regards.

[VideoMann]

I don't think VCD or SVCD will be dead in 12 months because it is dirt cheap media but compare to DVD you get what you paid for.

SVCD and VCDs will begin to take a hit in 18-24months as setop DVD recorders take-off droping the price of DVD-R/+R/-RW/+RW further.

Since a higher volume of cheaper DVD media will be available companies will begin to underproduce CDs due to lower profit margins with little future. CDs will remain around for quite awhile mostly for audio and computer files but not for usage as VCD or SVCD.

I love my DVD+R/+RW drive and have used it primarily for backing up audio files/music, data/programs, and some video in DVD. I also use it for CD-RW but not much interest with SVCD & VCD. I have found my DVD+RW to be more reliable on my setop DVD player with much better quality using DVD+RW than SVCD or VCD.

SVCD & VCD will continue as an attractive medium for video up to 12 months, beyond that it's life is very much in the air. Maybe Sony will revive it with a 1Gb CD-R.

[adam]

Sony's ~1 gig disks have been recalled/cancelled, so you can rule that out.

[andryn442]

(S)VCD will be around for a long time still, even with the DVD-R technology getting bigger. I just got started with the VCD thing, but I can say this:

Look at cassettes: "they" said that those were dead soon, and many people still use them. WHY? Because they are still convenient for many people.

I personally do not see the point of making a DVD for my old video collection. Most stuff that was recorded to VHS tape 5+ years ago will have aged. You can only get film to look so good. Besides, I am really not interested in ripping DVD's that much. I don't really have time to obtain a DVD and then rip it...I'd rather just go buy the thing.

That was not to offend any of you that DO rip DVD's, just my personal opinion. I'm more interested in preserving the video materials that I have...even if it means producing a

The things about DVD-R being so much better than VCD are simply US here talking...NOT the general public. The general public will still grab freestanding DVD-R, but VCD will STILL be a very viable option for many...and I don't see it going away. The avereage DVD player right now can play VCD...some can play SVCD (mine can).

You can ALWAYS buy CD-R, your CD/RW drive is STILL yours...even if you buy a DVD-R drive (which I want to). VCD is an inexpensive method of preserving your material...and I don't see the general public spending a lot of money to make DVD that will look about the same as VCD.

[midwestarts]

SVCD & VCD = ok (sorta blocky) quality

DVD = better quality

lets go back to laserdisc!

[Betamax]

I personally do not see the point of making a DVD for my old video collection. Most stuff that was recorded to VHS tape 5+ years ago will have aged. You can only get film to look so good. Besides, I am really not interested in ripping DVD's that much. I don't really have time to obtain a DVD and then rip it...I'd rather just go buy the thing.

I agree with this.

I'm doing (S)VCD creation for about 2years now. Although the VCD's I produced the first year were of a very low quality (not worth to watch them again at my TV), I learned how to do it right.
While I'm using a semi-pro card (Matrox RT-2500) by now, to capture my old VHS but also to copy movies/series directly from TV - I now can create (S)VCD's of a very good quality.
While the Matrox card captures in Interlaced DVD-quality, my SVCD's are of a better result than if I would tape them directly to vhs!

While DVD- and media still are too expensive around here (I live in Belgium), I wait until a good movie/serie is broadcasted onto TV and be sure I copy them directly to my PC.
Using the proper soft (and my Matrox of coarse) I've pre-authored the material in less than 2hours. Then in less than 7hours I've encoded a complete movie into SVCD (having high quality = no artefacts at all).
I don't mind if I have a movie (of about 1h45') at 2x 80minutes CD's as a SVCD.
While I always was a movie guru (I've gathered lots and lots of vhs tapes in the past 15years), I'm happy I can store any new ones onto cd. It takes less places and it last for much longer time (during summertime, it can be quiet hot around here, I don't think that's healty for my vhs-tapes and I don't have the room for an extra freezer in which I could store those videos ).

One should lower the prices of dvd-writers to somewhere the same price as cd/rw-writers and make the dvd-blank media (+/- R/RW) to somewhere the same as CD-R/W's are now. Software should be as easy as the current soft for cd-writers and there should be free soft available soon. If not, I don't think I'll ever start with DVD - so my opinion is that (S)VCD will be here for at least 5-10 years, at least.

I think it's thanks to the DVD that (S)VCD became so very much popular in (Western-)Europe. While some standalone dvd-players can play home-made (S)VCD's, and some people owns a camcorder and others have time to spend hours at their pc to create a (S)VCD (ripped from dvd or copied from tv/vhs (like me)) this medium will last much longer than some people even would wish.

In my effort to make dvd more popular by people who says they can live without it, I hear they only want to buy a dvd-player as soon there are dvd-recorders (standalone!) available which are easy to use and don't costs much more than most vhs-recorders do now.
'Philips' has made a good step in this direction and I don't think it will take much more time for Sony (and others) to follow.
Perhaps for another 2-3years and most people will be using dvd (as a replacement for vhs it properly will take much more time) - but then again, how long didn't it take for the CD to break through?

Anyway, my opinion about this topic : (S)VCD will remain, if not in -pressed- form then at least as written form (written at a PC).

[easydvd]

I've been watching this thread for quite some time now and the time has come for my two cents.

SVCD may be gasping a little as the new technology rolls out but it is FAR from dead. The price of a DVD burner is still too high to be mainstream and allow widespread use. Even when the price is in the "reasonable" range a lot of people aren't going to buy until the format issues are cleared up. This I think is regardless of the new cross formay stuff. Who knows....maybe the next generation of media won't even be backward compatible, unlikely but not out of the question.

When these things are in the $150 US range I think that a lot more people will consider buying them. I know individuals who have just bought their FIRST CD burner because they thought $100 was too much and waited still longer for lower prices.

Even with a "reasonable" price there will always be people who encode to SVCD specs but take advantage of the higher capacity of DVD media and choose to put 3 movies on a disc instead of one. The twenty to thirty minute home clips will ALWAYS have a place on SVCD just for the convenience of dropping a 25 cent disk into the mail instead of the $3 DVD-R. Cheap media breeds more use as well.

Those are some of the reasons I think this will be around for a while....VCD on the other hand hopefully will be gone soon in favor of the higher quality available with mpeg2. Fewer and fewer players support VCD now. The DivX question concerning the KISS player? Niche market that is devoted to a small segment of the movie crowd. Unless and until mpeg4 can be made backward compatible with current DVD technology it will remain that....a niche market with a small but loyal following. DivX is great to swap video files with your friends but at greater than 5mbs it just doesn't hold up to mpeg2......that's without even considering the backward compatibility issues.

[arealgijoe]

I think S/VCDs will be around for a while. I see vcd being used for low cost short video storage and sending to friends.

Movie copies and dubs will be the forte of DVD and capture of off air broadcast will most likely also see high dvd useage.

I expect that CD-R/RW media may droop even further, not a lot, in price and that will likely drive the useage factor. If I can make 2 vcd videos for the price of 1 dvd video, that is what I would use to send to friends if I wanted to send to more than just one person.

JD

[Big_glare]

CVD

enough said.

[SingSing]

For the poll :

" But no much out there can play mpeg4 and ac3,
and they are no standard. "

[SingSing]

CVD

enough said.

have you figure out what is the precentage saving on CVD vs SVCD ?

[Big_glare]

Savings? in what regards? You have a lower resolution but its still max res for an NTSC or PAL Television signal. And the same bitrates as "SVCD" I get a much better quality and very little if any pixelation.

[P@iNKilleR]

The way I look at things is that a VCD takes what 90 mins to encode on my athalon & an svcd takes about 2hrs to encode & this is using tmpeg. When I first started on my humble PII 300 it took hours to copy a dvd to vcd about 16hrs actually using flask & panasonic which now sound shocking but then the quality was mint.

Looking back I've been doing this for nearly 5 years using various progs like lsx & avi encoding stuff & it was fun. Now using CCE I can create a dvd at a low bitrate in about 3 hrs & thats encoded & mastered... give me the old days back when were the experts & we created our own master pieces & had our own guides (very complicated at that). I will always have a soft spot for vcd/svcd coz they were good & still can be & will be aroung longer than the current battle of the dvd format wars, simply coz its a standard agreed on & it can be bent/modified with non copliant vcd/svcd.

LONG LIVE SVCD/VCD/XVCD/KVCD/SEVCD



Kev!

[Big_glare]

As far as time savings I can do a 45minute tv to CVD in about an hour and half. Thats using TMPGend and on the slowest settings.

And with CVD I get better quality using CBR than I did VBR-SVCD so that cuts the time in half right there.


Oh and CVD is a true standard not an Exception to the rule like XVCD or XSVCD. I have yet to come accross a player that will play SVCD but not CVD.

[vitualis]

Read the humungous thread on CVD started by SatStorm. Some players do have problems with CVD compared to SVCD (though they shouldn't).

Regards.

[mategal]

I think all the addicts ( including me ) on this site enjoy screwing around with their computer and creating ( svcd creating is, I think ,a creative way of spending your time ) SVCDs.....
If the price of a dvd media and writer will drop to the level of a cdr bundle, than I think a new era will come, and something new will arise from the far depths of Hollywood makig movies something else....
The evolution is always in progress, so there has to be something new in the fiuture! Is there?

[Bradskey]

It is possible to make surprisingly good VCDs if the source is of high quality. I still prefer SVCD of course, but I find VCD is ideal for animations, like archiving stuff for the kids. Cartoons look really good if done right, probably because of all those solid color fields. DVD burners need to be about $150 with 50-cent media and quit yammering at the public about 5 or 6 different formats that have little or no technical merit over each other before DVD burning really breaks out. As for when VCD and SVCD dies, it dies when I'm damn good and ready to quit making them.

[zillaspawn]

i think by the spring or early summer i'll be doing dvd's only....i should be getting a dvd burner for chrismas or sometime in january and ill be experimenting with it for a few months before totaly switching over .......

[sangMan]

I don't think VCD or SVCD will be dead yet.. the price of CD-R is dirty cheap compare to DVD-R, (here in Canada DVD-R cost around $10 each!!!)
I still don't understand why people would want to rip DVD move? when you can buy the movie for about $25 and get a nice cover and all the extra features plus get 5.1 channels Sound!!!

I agree with the previous post, if your original source is from VHS or low quality input, why waste time convert to DVD format when SVCD gives you almost DVD like quality.
And also most of my friends were amaze when I show them SVCD home movies and TV shows that I’ve recorded.

Don't get me wrong, I love my DVD Burner (Sony DRU-500A). I use it mostly for backing up my data, music, home movies and backing my PS2 Games.

That my 2 cents

[sumibas]

I would say No. See Only in US there is technolgy and they buy DVD writer. But in all the Eurpe and Asian Countries People donot Buy technology as they come and it is not as cheap as here is US. And the DVD players are not cheap too. So there will be VCD and SVCD for Quite some time.

[crahak]

Well, I have a set top DVD player for pure convenience, but all the rest, play/record/... in whatever formats, with no hassle and also has built-in s-video out. No unsupported formats, codecs, or anything. It can also encode and burn. If you're not using it at the time, it can even be used as a mp3 jukebox (i don't watch movies and listen to music at the same time hehehe) and basically anything one feels like. Cheaper than crappy KISS player too. Anyways, you's all get the idea I bet...

[lusid]

The one thing holding me back from using the DVD for my recordings is the time involved in authoring and burning the disc. I record several shows a day, and I just don't have the time to author & burn them to DVD. I have the burner, the software, the know how, just not the time.

With VCDs, it's effortless. Authoring and burning a tv show takes about 2 mouse clicks and 5-6 minutes.

Now, If there was a DVDImager that could do what VCDImager does now I could start moving in that direction. Until then, VCD it is.

[SatStorm]

Yes, same here...
Hope this change soon. And it will, I am sure!

[Anonymous65]

DVD-R (DVD+R) compatibility with DVD players have a long way to go! I'll give it another few years.

[Sefy]

I Wouldn't be surprised if VCD outlives SVCD and DVD put together, I think
it's been around forever! even beat LaserDisc! the reasons I believe for VCD
to be so popular are:
1. Portability - NOTHING beats VCD in that regard!
2. Quality per Size - DivX is smaller and higher quality, but not Portabal yet!
3. Easy and Fast to make - VCD still encodes faster and it's easier to author!
4. VCD on DVD media! - You can do it, and get LOADS of hours on a DVDR!

Personaly, i'm sticking to VCD, I saw no difference in quality on SVCD using
my TV, so I find it useless, if I have to make 2 CD's, i'll still use VCD and up
the Audio and Video Bitrate for better quality.

That way I can still play it on all DVD Players (SVCD is NOT that compatible)
and on PC's without any special codec! and on some Portable VCD Players.

[xSpeCtor]

Good thing i got myself a Nokia Mediamaster 9600 SCSI. Long live DVB capturing! About that dreambox. I got myself a home made one. got everything i need in it

[furball6969]

X/VCD and X/SVCD will have their place for several more years. Think of where the VHS tape is right now; VCD's have pretty much taken the place of VHS tape for me. I archive southpark episodes and PPV broadcasts from satellite, x/vcd's are perfect for half hour or hour long shows.

DVD-R will be a more viable solution when the price of media comes down a bit more. I can cap at a rate that will allow 4 hours worth of video or perhaps even more depending on how much quality I want.

DVD-R drives are currently the same price that I paid for my first CD burner - and at that time discs (CD-R's) were $15.00 CAD. DVD-R discs are about $6.00 here and I can order them from US for about $2.50 CAD a piece delivered w/duties and taxes paid so it is not too far off.

[FoxGarrison]

I've been burning VCDs for the past few months. I've tried lots of things with VCDs--putting static menus on them, animated menus, extended content and loads of extras. I've improved the quality of them as well by just experimenting with various settings in TMPGEnc. I've backed up all my episodes of the Sopranos, I've even created anamorphic VCDs with the DVD player doing the squeeze for me! I love the format--2 disks and that's a movie--I can slip them in a book and play them in to work on the train on my old rickety laptop from years ago (let's see you do that with VHS)!

...however, I can see myself move to DVD-Rs if the prices in Canada come down. And why not? Better quality, more contents, lots of positives for the format.

...alas, the prices have yet to drop. None to worry, I still love burning my VCDs!