I can't seem to play SVCD's on my DVD-710. Is it possible to make this work? I don't know my firmware. I'ts bought for about 2 years ago I guess. It's totally region free and works with everything but SVCD's. If I update the firmware, will it make it region locked? And will it make it play SVCD's? Really need help here, would appreciate anything. I have downloaded the 9.25 firmware, but there is a newer version, 9,28 I think.

I would like any feedback on this! Please help.

Thanks in advance.

Regards, Johan André Vatvedt

-- Johan André Vatvedt (no@spam.com), January 24, 2002

Answers

Try asking your question on the SVCD forum at http://network54.com/Hide/Forum/70438. Your DVD player is supposed to support SVCD and Philips typically has good support for CD-R, so I'm surprised you have a problem. You don't say how you make your SVCDs. Various things could cause problems. For example, the bit rate could be too high (2600 Kbps is the video limit, although usually you can go a little above that without problem as most player don't strictly enforce the standards). You might be making SVCDs with the video in a directory called MPEGAV instead of the standard MPEG2. The Philips might not like your CD-R media. Try buring to CD-RW and see if that plays OK. If it does, change brands of CD-R media. I suggest using name brands. Upgrading the firmware might help, but I doubt it as I would be surprised if your version didn't support SVCD. Upgrading the firmware may remove your multi-region mode, so be careful.

-- Jason (Jason.Shumate@equant.com), January 24, 2002.

Hi and thanks for the reply! I don't make my own SVCDS. I try to burn and use the "released" ones. My friends plays is easily. Different DVD player though. My DVD player plays all kinds of cd's and VCD's, but not SVCD. I use nothing but Verbatim for everything. I better keep looking and askin to see if anyone has had this kind of problem or know someone who has. I would really like it to play SVCDS. Even though I could use my Multitainer (http://www.fujitsu- siemens.com/rl/products/broadband/entertainmentstation/multitainer/mu ltitainer.html)

But it's better to play it with the DVD player.. Thanks a lot anyway!

-- Johan Andre Vatvedt (no@spam.com), January 24, 2002.

Pressed original SVCDs are very rare. Where did u get them??

-- Mehmet Tekdemir (turk690@yahoo.com), January 25, 2002.

www.vcdgallery.com sells legitimate SVCDs. This explains a lot. Johan, I have a legitimate commercial SVCD. It is my understanding that all commercial SVCDs were created with I-Author. I-Author has a defect in that it stores the video file (which should be called AVISEQ01.MPG) in a subdirectory called MEPGAV. The SVCD standard, which Philips wrote, specifies that this subdirectory be called MPEG2. Philips DVD players have a reputation for being very demanding when playing SVCD. It may simply be that these commercial SVCDs won't play because the directory MPEG2 does not exist on them. Please go to www.vcdhelp.com and download a SVCD sample and burn it with Nero. If you need Nero, you can get a demo copy good for 30 days at www.ahead.de. Nero defaults to burn SVCD with the MPEG2 directory. MPEGAV is a holdover from VCD. Some DVD players won't play SVCD if the video isn't in MPEG2, others incorrectly want the video in MPEGAV and a lot don't care which it's in. Anyway, if you can play the SVCD samples you burn with Nero, you definitely have a problem that your DVD player insists SVCDs have the video in the MPEG2 directory on the disc. The only fix is to try to copy the video from the SVCD and reburn it using Nero.

-- Jason (Jason.Shumate@equant.com), January 25, 2002.