Howdy Folks. My name is Luke and I work for TAO Music, Inc. If you haven't heard about us yet, we've produced a new Video CD karaoke machine, with four mic inputs. It's only a hundred dollars, and is of high quality. Check it out @ www.taomusic.tv. It's pretty cool.

But here's my $500 dollar question. If you can answer it, I'll send you $500 in cash via FedEx tomorrow. You'll have the money within two days. Here goes: I'm interested in getting information regarding accessing a VCD's audio tracks on an audio CD player. I understand that the VCD's audio tracks are coded in MPEG1, and that it'll blow up your audio CD player. I'd like to create a disc which shares standard audio CD tracks, (i.e. 10-14 songs) and one or two bonus VCD tracks on the same CD. Is this possible? Can these two formats co-exist on one hybrid CD? If you can answer my question correctly, I'll send the money over right away. Thanks guys. Good Luck!

If you'd like, you may e-mail me directly at the address found below.

-- Luke (luke@taomusic.tv), January 29, 2001

Answers

You can make a VCD with CDDA tracks using VideoPack 4 and probably WinOnCD, but I've only seen it done with VideoPack 4. Now send over the five bills :P

-- Mr.Ian Roswell (cyberlien51@juno.com), January 30, 2001.

Same as Ian says; and when you put a menu, you can point choices to these CDDA tracks. This is probably a good place to start as any in pointing out that VCD ver 2.0 specs DO have provisions for including Red Book CDDA tracks in the VCD layout. With every VCD folk hell-bent in the *.mpg part this is overlooked. But, you don't have to give me $500. or part thereof... :D

-- Mehmet Tekdemir (turk690@yahoo.com), January 30, 2001.

so the final question in all this wasn't answered. If you combine CDDA tracks to a video CD format, what happens when you put it in a regular cd player? Can it recognize without damaging the disk? and vice versa, can your DVD/VCD player find the CDDA tracks? This has interesting cross platform functionality if it would work.

Tygrus

-- tygrus (tygrus2000@hotmail.com), January 30, 2001.

I can't believe how many people have responded to my question. You all know a lot more than myself on VCD. Ms. Zamith e-mailed me saying that all VCDs are recorded in a single session, and after that session is over, the CD cannot be written to again. What if I was to burn a few MP3 or WAV files onto the CD before that VCD session began? Is this possible? What if I used a CD-RW? Keep thinking folks! These five bills are burning a hole in my pocket.

Thanks again for all your help.

-- Luke (luke@taomusic.tv), January 30, 2001.

Here's a $1000 question. Does anyone believe that this guy is going to send $500? Sorry if I appear cynical but that's because I am. The purpose of these boards is that people can share their knowledge together - you would have got the same response if you had not offered to pay for the answer!!

I will send $1000 by fed ex next day if you can answer this for me - although I will deduct a postage and packing charge of $1000 from it - to cover my costs of course!

-- Waynne Smith (hemail @ukfun.com), January 31, 2001.

Hello Luck.

I know one or two things about Compact Discs Physical Formats. What you are asking for is a way to combine two of them. The Red Book Format ( used by music CDs ) with the White Book standard ( used by VideoCDs ).

Since the Red Book and the White Book separate it's contents in Tracks, is not possible what your are trying to do. You want to insert the disc on a Music CD Player and hear the music, and later insert the disc on your VCD/DVD player and see the videos. No way for the machines to see a diference between the Red Book Audio tracks and the White Book Video Tracks.

There is only a kind of physical format which can combine two of them. It is the CD Extra ( Blue Book ) also named CD Plus or Enhabced CD.

On this kind of disc you can put audio tracks using the Red Book format and also a computer data track ( Yellow Book format ).

Using a CD Extra you can hear the music on the Music CD Player and put the VideoCD content (files) on the computer track. The user can see and hear the video files on his computer BUT NOT or maybe on very few not standard VCD/DVD players like the Raite or Apex models.

Maybe is the format you are serching for. Good luck and tell ne how it goes.

Roberto Gómez Torres. Mexico City, Mexico. robertogt@bigfoot.com

-- Roberto Gomez Torres (robertogt@bigfoot.com), January 31, 2001.

USE CAKEWALK VERSION 9.0 AND YOU CAN SAVE AS EITHER VOCAL AND MUSIC AS WAV. FILE AND BURN ON CD AND YOU CAN PLAY ON ANY PLAYER

-- van SOMPHOU (somphou23@yahoo.com), August 22, 2003.