Burning VCDs With Linux?

nestea` asks: "OK! I want to know if it is possible to burn Video CDs from Linux with cdrecord or some sort of recording software. As I understand it Video CD is not like normal CDROMs and can not be read the same way (according to www.mpegtv.com). The MpegTV site is my main source for Linux VCD info. Ideas?"

Re:VCDs, Linux and DVD, my own question.

[Anonymous Coward]

heheh.. i'm an anonymous coward ;)
anyways, I can't answer how to burn them with linux.

I can answer your Panasonic A120 question though.
Simply put, the DVD laser isn't powerful enough for the CD-R media to reflect properly (correct me if i'm wrong). Yes, your DVD player does play VCDs, but they have to on normal, silver platter CDs, not CD-Rs (yes, you can get these legally in Asian countries, where they do release films on CD).

If you're die hard on playing CD-Rs (audio or VCD) on your DVD player, you'll have to get a DVD Player that's special enough such that it can do it. The Sony line of DVD Players can do it, because they use something called "Dual Discrete Optical Pickup"... in simple terms, they use two lasers; one for reading CDs, and a different laser to read DVDs.

I have heard that some of the more advanced Pioneer DVD Players can do it as well like the one that reads DVD and Laserdiscs... (is that the 909?)

Anyways, you should goto best buy, and bring a CD-R disc along.. not all dvd players can read them (i assume this is the same problem had in all those first generation dvd-rom driveS). Play it safe like me and just buy a Sony DVD Player.. I love my Sony CPD-500D

Re:VCDs, Linux and DVD, my own question.

[jamus]

Try a CD-RW. From what I read, it has a different color dye and it can be read in DVD players.

While I haven't tried one in a DVD-drive, my Sony DVD-player plays it without a hitch. Which has a side benefit of being able to blank the CD and record a new copy on it.

This was an audio CD, and not a VCD, though.

The only CD-R I have with music on it doesn't work. It has a data track first and then an audio track second, which may be confusing the thing.

Not all Sony DVD's play CD-R! ;Other advice

[Sleepy]

You need something that plays CD-R *and* VideoCD, because of the media and the format.

For the original question:
I don't know what burns VCD in Linux, but Toast on the Mac does nicely. This is marginally on-topic, because Executor will run many non-PowerPC Mac apps under Linux, and MAY run Toast. I know Toast is a FAT binary... works on either 68k or PPC CPU's.

For your question:
Best thing is to burn a VideoCD in Toast (MacOS) or whatever is used in Windows, and take that to the store and ask to play it. Bring different CD media as well... some players handle silver CD-R but choke on blue disks, and so on.

About 2 weeks ago, I bought a Sony 3xx-something DVD player... it would not play CD-R, of which I have an EXTENSIVE collection, so back to the store I went. This is backwards... the new Sony's do NOT play CD-R, except for the top model. To save costs, see... :-/

The Panasonic 414 does play CD-R (not sure about VCD), but it has a nasty audio/video synch problem (as does the Sony) when the layers change... during Blade Runner, audio fell 1 full second behind the video. This is common to many DVD players (pause or synch), which is why I've given up until after all the holiday sales...

What I want in a DVD player is:
* "codefree"... so I can play Japanese Anime, some of which is ONLY available as imports, without buying a new "Japanese code" player. Some players are easily hacked, but as I mentioned above there are many other things that could be wrong (like no CD-R support).
* Macrovision-free. Sure, it's an anti-piracy tool, but it also prevents any decent capture through my video board. The real pirates on IRC have ripping all figured out anyhow... (I just want to make digital samples)
* Plays CD-R
* Plays VideoCD. I think VCD sucks, BUT one usefull thing is taking a homemade presentation with you on disc. At the data rates VCD affords, you can get real good quality for a video slideshow, and the media's more reliable than VHS (oops the tape got eaten, boss...)

Re:VCDs, Linux and DVD, my own question.

[drix]

AFAIK if it can't read a CDR, it sure as hell won't read a CD-RW. I know this because I bought a CD-RW drive thinking that I could burn rewriteable audio CDs and that way always have a CD loaded up with whatever cool MP3s I was into at that time. Not so. I've tried it with probably ten different audio CD players, and none can read a CD-RW. The overwhelming response I got when I inquired about this was that the CD-RW material isn't dye, like a CDR, but a dimorphous crystalline substance that takes a much higher strength laser to even produce a reflection. So my point is that if his player can't read CD-R because the laser isn't strong enough, it probably won't be able to read CD-RW either.

VCDs, Linux and DVD, my own question.

[jfunk]

Ok, this is sorta on topic because I'd like to burn VCD's on Linux as well and would like to know how to do so (I dabble in animation).

I have a Panasonic A120 DVD player and while it plays normal audio CDs, it refuses to play burned audio CDs (I'm a musician, the burns are legit damnit!). The DVD player is supposed to play VCDs (according to the front panel).

Does anybody else have this problem? Any insight on this?

I hope I'm not too off topic...

Re:VCDs, Linux and DVD, my own question.

[mikeCRS]

> I can answer your Panasonic A120 question though.
> Simply put, the DVD laser isn't powerful enough
> for the CD-R media to reflect properly (correct
> me if i'm wrong).

Power has nothing to do with it, but wavelength has. The red laser from a DVD-player will simply shine right through the reflective layer of a CD-R.
DVD-players that can read CD-R discs always has a separate infra-red laser.
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