This Frequently Asked Questions section aims to give you the low down on VCDs.
Disclaimer: This is only a guide and reference and should only be considered as such.
A Video Compact Disc or VCD is a CD-ROM with moving images and sound, it is a film on a disc. VCD uses a standard MPEG-1 to allow film to be placed on to a CD. Most films are too big to fit on to one CD, so many films span over two even three discs.
Unlike DVD there is no region coding so a VCD can play in any zone with need for modification to our playback equipment.
However VCD can be presented in PAL or NTSC. PAL is the european broadcast standard. NTSC is found in the USA and Japan. Playback of NTSC films on PAL equipment with old TVs can lead to a black and white picture and vice versa. Modern TVs can handle any signal generally!
MPEG stands for Motion Picture Expert Group, it is a standard for video compression. Films would be far too huge to fit on to CDs if it were not for compression. Compression allows for the film to fit on to CD and MPEG is a standard. VCD uses MPEG-1 an early standard for video compression. MPEG-2 is used for DVDs and MPEG-4 is used on digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom. Therefore the quality on VCD is not as high as can be expected from DVDs.
VCD did not really take off in Europe, it did however take off in the far east. That is why you will find many retailers based in Malaysia. There are some specialist dealers in Europe. However you will find all new releases over in Malaysia even some titles you do not see on DVD in the UK or USA! It is possible to buy Star Trek and Star Wars on VCD allowing you to enjoy the films over and over again without any degradation that you get with VHS tapes.
Well for some titles not released on DVD, (Star Wars, Back to the Future, Star Trek Collection etc) it can be a valuable and cheap way of expanding your collection.
Quality does seem to vary, overall quality is very good on a par with a good VHS copy if not better, it really does depend upon the film. The Star Trek collection has a very impressive image quality with little artifacts (imperfections) almost as clear as a DVD! However in all cases sound is usually crystal clear digital audio. Star Wars is presented in Dolby Surround, Back to the Future is in PCM stereo.
1. Pirate Copies
Most retailers will not deal in pirate copies. They do exist certainly in the far east piracy is a major problem. The reputable retailers will not deal with pirate copies, it could cause them terrible damage to their reputation and business. Most retailers only deal with original licensed VCD.
A pirate CD can be spotted:
- Possibly a green/blue underside, means it is a copied CD.
- Lack of print on the front of the CD.
- Film is on CD very quickly after general release in cinemas indicates possible piracy.
- Packaging makes no reference to film distributor - although a copy is infringement of international copyright laws, to impersonate a distributor would be another violation! So copies will not bear "Lucasfilm" or otherwise.
2. Fraudulent Traders
Use only companies with good reputations you can find these out by learning of other peoples experiences with retailers. Look to forums and messageboards, other reference sites. You can find out more about this in the Retailers Page this site.
3. Pay by credit card
Use credit card for payment, that way if the worst happens you credit agency will foot the bill, hopefully! Most credit card agencies offer protection for the consumer with on-line purchases.
Do not use debit cards! These are a gateway to your account and do not offer the same protection as a credit card does.
Be aware that when making transactions in foreign currency some card companies will charge a commission fee for exchange rates. Do check with your card issuer!
Check Exchange Rates here!! With XE Currency Conversion program.
The XE.com Universal Currency Converter
Nearly all Malaysian sites deal in US dollars.
4. Ship by registered delivery
Use a registered postal service or means like Fedex to deliver your goods, it just helps matters should your package get lost as this offers you security on non-delivered items. Most VCD vendors provide this service particularly the larger companies.
There are stand alone VCD players just like you would find a VCR in the UK or USA. However the beauty of VCD is that a lot of machines with a CD-ROM drive are capable of VCD playback these include:
A Personal Computer, IBM-PC, Apple Mac or even Amiga! With the relevant software to support playback, on Windows you can use Windows Media Player (WMP). I have tried playback using a Pentium 100 and WMP and playback is possible on a low spec computer!! A PC with DVD software will also allow for VCD playback Intervideo WinDVD allows VCD playback, check the manual for further information.
A DVD stand alone player. DVD uses MPEG-2 most DVD players are able to read MPEG-1. Check your manual for specifications or try these sites, sometimes the specs are not stated!
http://www.dvd.reviewer.co.uk/
Sega Saturn with VCD add on card. Check (Cool VCD Info Sheet) for details.
Playstation with VCD add on card. Check the above CoolVCD link for details.
Sega Mega-CD with VCD add on card, yes if you have one of these old machines it is possible with a card. Probably very rare and difficult to trace but it is possible!
Sega Dreamcast not as standard but with a boot disc find more out on (VCD Help Forum) Search for Dreamcast and all will be revealed!
Philips CD-i an old console that had VCD compatibility.
Some Laserdisc players have VCD playback.