|
|
Principle:
Build a VideoCD as much simple and compatible as we can... There
are many potential problems: MPEG encoding, VCDEasy usage,
burning, home DVD Player compatibility with the
VideoCD specifications, the CD-R(W)s themselves...
NB: Remember that the ability to read/play your VideoCD on a PC is not a proof of success for your home DVD player...
1) |
The home DVD player and the CDR(W)s
First, take a look at the VCDHelp's DVD Players Compatibility list to know more about your DVD player.
Format support: To
summarize, some DVD players do not play VideoCDs at all, some play
only VCD 2.0, some are not fully compliant with the
VideoCD specifications, some can read more or less everything...
AS an example, when I bought my DVD player, it did not play well
VCD2.0 and did not play SVCD 1.0 at all... I did a firmware
upgrade (yeap, you can upgrade some DVD players...), it then
played well VCD 2.0 but still not SVCD 1.0... I finally found
an SVCD unlock code for it... Et voila! Now I can play both
VCD 2.0 and SVCD 1.0... Note that it still does not play well
some XVCD or XSVCD (VideoCD with some parameters out of the VideoCD
specifications)
Media support: CD-RW discs are
usually readable on most of the DVD players, while your player may not
be able to read CD-R discs, or some CD-Rs... Read the DVD Demystified FAQ for more information. So, again, it is a good idea to take a look at the VCDHelp's DVD Players Compatibility list .
Extra features support: Things like "Selectable SVCD subtitles" are also not supported on all DVD players.
|
2) |
MPEG Encoding
Many
VCDEasy users have their problems there... It exists a lot of MPEG
encoders, but only a few will give you true compatibility with the MPEG
for VideoCDs specifications, and a good quality. I tried lots
of them, always with "VCD2.0" or "SVCD 1.0" templates...
Depressing results in most cases... And the price does not proove
quality! I personnally choose TMPGEnc
(with its VideoCDs templates), coupled with GNU VCDImager (used by
VCDEasy) I have very good results, knowing that my home DVD player
does not accept everything but only true VCD 2.0 or SVCD 1.0, it
seems...
|
3) |
VCDEasy configuration
You
can configure/use almost all aspects of the VideoCD specifications...
But as a first VideoCD, to know if your Home DVD player can read
at least something (except a DVD!), you should not use most of the
VideoCD features.
Let's do something simple, to
summarize: VCD 2.0, no PlayBack Control (PBC), one MPEG video
(with a length more than 4s), no chapters, no MPEG still
(pictures), no CD-i support... this should be a good start! If it
does not work, turn ON the PlayBack Control but let the defaults
in the Interactivity page.
See below for details.
|
4) |
Burning
Another potential problem... See the "How to Burn" guides on this web site.
Remember to first try burning with low spped 1x or 2x, it is really
important for some DVD players, in order for them to read
correctly the CD-R or CD-RW.
|
Once you will have a very simple VideoCD playable on your DVD player, you will be able to use/test extra feature more easily...!
If
this does not work... and if you are sure about your MPEG file and
way to burn... sorry I can not help more. Try the VCDHelp.com forum.
|
|
|
The first time you start VCDEasy, it should look like below.
Let's first check the working environment:
You must have GNU VCDImager integrated into VCDEasy (),
otherwise you won't be able to have CD images files ready to be
burnt. If you do not have the GNU VCDImager integration ( ), the easiest way for you to have it is to install the VCDEasy full distribution. See the downloads page
Burning... the most difficult part...
You need to decide how you will burn the CD image files...
To summarize, if you want to use the integrated CDRDAO (), you must have a valid ASPI layer on your Windows ( , here "Nero ASPI", selected using ), then you should be able to choose your CD writer ()... but is it not enough, you will have to configure the CDRDAO settings...
If you do not want to use CDRDAO, simply do not check "Simulate" and "Burn" () if they are enabled, and do not check "Generate the XML file only" () in order to build the CD image files.
In all cases, you must read the "How to Burn" guides.
From now, for this guide, I will use the integrated CDRDAO as burning example.
|
|
|
Go to the VCDEasy settings page
|
Choose "BIN/CUE" as CD Image Type. "BIN/detailed CUE" may (it
depends on your DVD player) be important for you only if you use
chapters
NB: In the case your are not using the PlayBack Control information,
"Detailed CUE" may be necessary for you in order to have
chapters. Note that if you use "detailed CUE", you must use a
burning method that keeps CUE subindexes (See BIN/CUE CD image files)
|
|
Do not check "Use 2336 bytes sectors for CD Image". It is mainly
only needed when you want to burn 99min CDRs
|
|
Do not check "Delete CD image files if burn successful", as if you
fail to burn with CDRDAO or if the VideoCD can not be read on your
DVD player, you will be able to use the CD image files with
another burning application (See the "How to Burn" guides).
|
|
|
|
Go to the "(S)VCD Player" settings page
|
Except if you plan to play your VideoCD on on CD-i player, better not
include the CD-i application, at least for your first VideoCD tests.
|
|
When you will author a SVCD (this is not the case for this guide),
this option is very important and only depends on your
DVD player. You will have to test both case. NB:
Unchecked is the good choice for most DVD players
|
|
Again, for SVCD only, check "Update scan data offsets" if your player does not apply the Chinese Specifications
|
|
Better have this option always checked.
|
|
This options concerns chapters... out of the scope of this
guide... But usually, you should not relax the APS constraints, or
may experience chapters troubles... or may not, it depnds on your
DVD player
|
|
This is only used when you are authoring a MPEG Stills only VideoCD... out of the scope of this guide.
|
|
Better not play with Gaps and Margins if you do not know exactly what you are doing.
|
|
|
|
See the "How to Burn" guides for the CDRDAO settings page. This page is hidden if you does not have the CDRDAO integration into VCDEasy
|
|
|
Go back to the (S)VCD authoring "Main" page
|
Select VCD2.0 (most of the DVD players supports at least VCD2.0).
NB: You can also use VCD1.1 if you want (No PlayBack Control in
this case, but for this guide, we won't use PlayBack Control)
|
|
If you want to use CDRDAO to burn, better choose "Simulate" first, and
not "Burn". When the simulation will end successfully, eject
you CDR or CDRW, uncheck "Simulate", check "Burn" and hit "Go"
again. Indeed, some users have troubles when both "Simulation" and
"Burn" are checked at the same time, because of another burning
application running in background (like DirectCD,
PacketCD,...). You will have to test later if you can have both
checked at the same time.
|
|
You can put what you want here, it will be the name displayed when you will put your VideoCD in your computer
|
|
This is the location where the CD image files and the XML file
will be. This is important for you if you planned to use another
burning application. You can change this location in clicking
NB: Do not check "Generate the XML file only"
|
|
Always check "Analyse MPEG files". It will gives you extra
facilities in VCDEasy. For example the ability to have "Perform
some MPEG compliance check", and a far better chapter entry points
handling
|
|
Better always have "Perform some MPEG compliance checks" turned
ON. If your MPEG files pass the checks, it does not proove many
things, but if your MPEG files fail these checks, there is a greate
chance that you won't build a working VideoCD
|
|
This is the approximate size of the CD you will have. Remember... approximate! As your MPEG files may be padded on the fly during the CD image files creation, I have no way to compute the exact size.
|
|
This is the space available on the hard disk where the CD Image files will be created (See ).
|
|
Let's now add the MPEG1 for VCD2.0 file.
See the VCDHelp's TMPGEnc guide
to have an example on how to build such a MPEG file. NB: I
will put soon some MPEG files for tests in the downloads page
As I already said previously:
Many
VCDEasy users have problems due to bad MPEG file... It exists a
lot of MPEG encoders, but only a few will give you true compatibility
with the VideoCDs specifications, and a good quality. I tried lots of
them, always with "VCD2.0" or "SVCD 1.0" templates... Depressing
results in most cases... And the price does not proove quality! I
personnally choose TMPGEnc (with its VideoCDs templates), coupled with
GNU VCDImager (used by VCDEasy) I have very good results, knowing that
my home DVD player does not accept everything but only true VCD 2.0 or
SVCD 1.0, it seems..
Note that you can select several files at the same time (in using the "CTRL" key)
|
If your MPEG file is ok, you should now see it in the MPEG files list, without having had a warning or error:
|
When you let VCDEasy analyse the MPEG files, you can see information about your files
|
|
Note that when there is at least one MPEG file in the MPEG files
list, you can not anymore check or uncheck some options.
|
|
Now go to the "Option" page. Note that there is a page called "Interactivity"
|
|
Uncheck "Use PlayBack Control (PBC)" (Note that this hides the "Interactivity" page)
If you DVD player won't play the VideoCD, it is a good idea to make it again in changing only this option.
In all cases, it is important to know if your player supports the PBC information.
NB: PBC is not available when authoring VCD 1.1
|
No need to go to the "Chapter" page... out of the scope of this guide. So, let this page as it is.
No need to change something in the "Iso Files", but you can take a look at it.
In the Log page, you can see what happens...
You can see here a "Starting write simulation..."
You
can also see that VCDEasy generated an XML file which describes
the VideoCD you are making, and used to build the CD Image files:
At the end of the write simulation, if everything went well, you should have:
|
Means that there was no problems during the XML file generation...
|
|
Means that the CD image files have been successfully created...
|
|
Means that the write simulation succeeded!
|
You can now go back to the (S)VCD authoring "Main" page:
You should now have:
|
No more "Simulation finished successfully" but "Writing finished successfully"
|
You can now try in your DVD player...
NB:
This guide is quite long... but detailed (It was also quite long to
write... and I am not native English speaker...). With the
time, you will find it quite easy to understand... I hope.
Remember that making the first successful VideoCD is the biggest
problem, you may make a few coasters... but once made, you will have
fun and will be able to make more complex VideoCDs...
|