Hi,

I would like to hear opinions on which CD-recording program is the best at VCD creation ? Is there any difference between VCDs created with either of them?

thanks for any response!!

-- Koshy (koshy@mbox3.singnet.com.sg), May 08, 2000

Answers

Here are my experiences with these softwares:

EZ CD Deluxe 4.01 has issues with mpeg players and other CD recording softwares around it when it is installed into your system. You have to modify the system.ini and win.ini files in order for it to live peacefully with the mpeg players. You have to edit the registry at startup using a boot menu in order for it to live peacefully with other CD recording softwares, Cequadrant, Nero, NTI, etc. This software only allows true VCD compliant clips to be processed through its authoring procedure, and if the clips are not true VCD compliant, then you will probably making coasters most of the time. This software will allow you to make a single level menu for your VCD, which is a plus. Once you've successfully written a VCD to disc, the disc will play flawlessly.

Nero 4.0.8.5 does not care about mpeg players but it does care about what other CD softwares are around. So a boot menu to edit the registry is needed at startup to select which one is to be used. This software does allow none-compliant VCD mpeg1 clips or mpeg2 clips to be written as VCD. It is much faster at authoring VCD then EZ CD, since it does not use a temp file to write the mpeg clips to the CD (EZ CD takes your mpeg clips and compiles them in a temp file before writting to disc...look at the window temp directory). The down size to this software is that it does not allow menu driven VCD! This software is the best to use if you don't have the need to create menu driven VCD.

CeQuadrant Video Pack 4 behaves exactly like EZ CD when it comes to other CD softwares; However, it doesn't care about mpeg players. It is picky as to what type of burners you have in your system, so most likely you have to download and install a specific driver for your burner in order for this software to work. I have heard this software allows high video bitrate VCD, but have not try it (don't know where to disable the VCD compliant option on it). It has the most extensive menu driven option for VCD over the previous two softwares, but the burn quality is not accountable ( you may or may not end up with coasters after the burn due to corrupted mpeg tracks ). Furthermore, it crashes my system periodically, and i don't know the cause as to date.

So there you have it from my experiences with these softwares....Others on this forum may offer different accounts and opinions.

-- lnguyen (wingstarzz@hotmail.com), May 08, 2000.