Hi folks,

I have a Toshiba DVD player (sorry I don't remember the model number). It has no problem playing the VCD I bought i.e. Hong Kong movie and other VCD sale by vendors :).

However, when I make my own VCD using Nero or Adaptec (from MPEG) file, my DVD player cannot play it!

I look at the files in the VCD I created and it seems to have all the folders structured like VCDs I bought from vendors... somehow my Toshiba player does not like it.

Anyone ever has this problem?

Any comment is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

-- Achawin (achawin@excite.com), February 28, 2001

Answers

I saw some posts earlier regarding this topic, but they did not really answer my question. What is the difference between normal VCD sold by vendors and mine that my player can only read one not the other? They are both CD-R, not CD-RW I think?. Is it the difference in the software used to burn it?

Thank you.

-- Achawin (achawin@excite.com), February 28, 2001.

I am looking into burning some VCDs too. I found a site called vcdhelper which answers alot of questions. It said that most DVD players will only play CD-RW disks not CD-R. It has something to do with the way the laser bounces off the pits and lands. Hope this helps.

-- Stephens Johnson (StephensJohnson@hotmail.com), February 28, 2001.

Most DVD players will not read a homemade Video CD recorded on a CD-R. It has nothing to do with the software or the color of the disk.A lot of them will read a homemade video cd on a CD-RW disk

-- Al (amccraw@yahoo.com), February 28, 2001.

IT SHOULD WORK IF U USE A CDRW

-- HYWAY (72HYWAY@MSN.COM), February 28, 2001.

I have an early version of the Apex 600a DVD player which was built around the Toshiba chipset. My version does not support CDr or CDrw, though all of the newer ones do! Apex tech support confirmed this.

It does play stamped, commercial VCD though.

My CDr's (regardless of VCD buring software) play fine on the newer Apex but not on mine as expected. To my joy, my player will play CDrw but only if burned with EZCD Creator, but not Nero.

-- me (snake_mountain@hotmail.com), March 01, 2001.

The laser in a DVD player is much smaller than that of a CD. A DVD player can adjust for this, but The material used in a CDR is optically clear to most DVD players. Check it out, I bet the audio CD's you create won't work in it either.

-- (Me@work.slacking.off), March 01, 2001.

For a detailed explanation of the many different reasons for your problem goto to www.pcphotovideo.com. Click on the "DVD Player Issues" and read the first of three parts which is discussing your problem.

-- Rich (rich@pcphotovideo.com), March 02, 2001.

Toshiba has finally been coaxed and butted and cajoled into its senses enough to make its very latest generation DVD set-tops capable of recognizing CD-Rs. Your model is probably third-generation and below and so will NOT recognize CD-Rs reliably. Give that away to the Salvation Army.

-- Mehmet Tekdemir (turk690@yahoo.com), March 03, 2001.

To start off, for the people who read this. A bought VCD is called a press not a burn. Done on a Silver disc because it reflects better. Made on machines that put out a 1,000 at a time sort of say. Not the same as a burn done on a CD writer.

!!Now with that out of the way!!

So you made a Disc to Disc burn and made a copy just like the original!? (Done that) This copied disc when put into a standalone says {NO Disc}. So what happened? Nothing you did was wrong. Here is the problem folks. The Cdr media as it's called comes in many flavors. The red laser reads smaller pits and is having problems finding the pit to read. (Yes, most Cdrs you can see right thru them when held to the light. CDrw can't.) You just have to find the one your DVD standalone likes. 1 other problem if you have done over 530 burns like I have you will find that the burner can make unreadable copies. example: a Hew/Pac with Adpatec Cd deluxe can make a playable Cdr. When my Metsumi with NTI can't.

Another tip: I can make a perfect VCD but it will no longer play on my computer. This happens:(

But I to have an Apex 600a loophole which plays everything. If you have an Apex player. You did something wrong!!! All Apexs' can play any media.

-- thepest (jamesthepest@aol.com), March 03, 2001.

Sadly, not all Apex's or even Apex 600A's, support CDr or CDrw. For reference, check out the following Apex forum site (and dig deep):

http://209.216.233.229:8080/forum/index.php

Sadly, Apex made some early Apex 600a models based on the Toshiba chipset. Mine is one such, purchased from Heartland, BEFORE the newer models came out. I went so far as to ship mine to Apex Tech support in California (http://www.apexdigitalinc.com/) after lengthy conversations with them, assuring me that mine could be upgraded via the loader firmware. Inspection of the interior of the DVD, and comparing to photo's posted on the Web confirmed the Toshiba difference. On recipt of my machine, they called me back to apoligize for their mistake, that my machine could not be upgraded for the reason stated above. Heartland confirmed this and would not replace the machine since (unlike the newer models) the literature with my machine did not state support for CDr/CDrw.

Through much experimentation, I found that my machine would only play CDrw burned with EZCD-D. All of my VCD created using various SW packages/CDr/CDrw's worked fine on the newer models though. A trip to CC confirmed this.

My DVD player stays connected to my TV, rather than delivered to the Salvation Army due to the fact that it plays DVD's perfectly, and my home made VCD's on CDrw acceptably. Someday though....

-- me (snake_mountain@hotmail.com), March 05, 2001.

Hi Achawin, The VCD you bought from the VCD store, and that VCD can play in 2nd generation DVD or VCD stand alone machine is not MPEG file any more. The VCD which can play in stand alone machine such as 2nd generation DVD or VCD stand alone machine is in DAT file. If you want to burn your own VCD which can play in stand alone machine, you have to make that movie file become DAT file. I use Easy CD Creator 4.0 Deluxe to make my vacation film which I recorded from my 8mm camcorder. Finally, Easy CD Creator 4.0 Duluxe is your answer.

Good luck, Tyler

-- Tyler Truong (trungtruong_2000@yahoo.com), April 26, 2001.

The best place that I have found to convert any movie format and even DVD movies to VCD is at www.kalimero.go.ro/way2.htm Check it out: the catch is that it takes a few hours to burn and of course the quality is not as good as the DVD either.

-- Brian (blannin1@bellsouth.net), April 26, 2001.

LOOK EVERYONE I DONT KNOW WHY YOU USE VCD WHEN YOU COULD USE SVCD IT IS THE QUALITY OF A DVD ALMOST. IF YOUR DVD WONT READ SVCD THEN BUY ONE THAT READS IT AND THAT WAY YOU COULD SEE DVD QUALITY FILMS. OH ALSO TO CONVERT TO SVCD OR VCD ,ETC THE BEST PROGRAM RO USE IS CALLED TMPGENC, AND THE BEST PROGRAM TO BURN THIS SVCD OR VCD IS CALLED NERO BURINING ROM, I HELPED WITH THIS INFO. ALSO IF ANY NEED HELP WITH SUBTITLES EMAIL ME AT ELTONY2002@HOTMAIL.COM. I KNOW A LOT ABOUT SUBTITLES ANY LANGUAGE U WANT I MAY HAVE IT.

-- JOSE GONZALEZ (ELTONY2002@HOTMAIL.COM), August 09, 2003.

WHAT I SAID ABOUT BUYING ONE FORGET IT , CAUSE I JUST FIGURED OUT THAT YOU COULD FAKE YOUR DVD INTO THINKING THAT IT IS READING VCD WHEN INSTEAD IT IS READING SVCD. THE ADDRES FOR THIS GUIDE IS

http://www.geocities.com/evbq64a/vcdtrick.htm

-- JOSE GONZALEZ (ELTONY2002@HOTMAIL.COM), August 09, 2003.