1) When will CVCD, SVCD and VCD ver 3.0, become the dominant VCD format, 2) And also, which one will be the dominant format? 3) Should I stop investing in current VCD hardware, because of the above?

Over in Asia, I do not ever think that DVD will make any major inroads, as hardware sales depends heavily (80-90%) on cheap, pirated software, so even IF DVD software gets pirated it would still be more expensive than pirated VCD software, your comments please.

Thanks

-- Sethsolo (sethsolo@hotmail.com), February 09, 1999

Answers

CVCD, SVCD, and VCD 3.0 will be dominant sometime near never. VCD 2.0 and 1.1 seem to be used more by the move studios as this is more universally compatible. You should invest in a DVD player that plays VCDs...by the way DVD players only support VCD 1.x-2.0. DVD is fast becoming popular in Asia, think about it no dsik swapping, better picture and sound, plus bonus extras. It may take longer for Asia to change but it is defintely the dominant format of the future. (In America it already is...Europe uses it as well...So Asia will have to follow eventually) Hope this answers some of you questions.

-- T (btp_shomchuen@hotmail.com), February 09, 1999.

This is good advice. I'd wait until DVD players SAY they support SVCD also, though. There's technically not much difference between the two formats (they both use VBR Mpeg-II), but getting a consumer product to play anything but what it says it will play is a trick. That way, you'll be able to play whatever Asian movies you want when (WHEN) SVCD becomes the dominant standard there.

-- Ben Smith (benjamin-smith@utulsa.edu), February 21, 1999.

Sorry Ben, DVD players won't support SVCD or CVCD. Read some of the press releases for the new Late 1999 Early 2000 models. None of them have support for Video CD. Infact Panasonics new hybrid model that is a DVD player and mini shelf system in one deos not support DVD. Sony is removing support for Video CD in its late 1999 players (US only). So far Pioneer seems to be the only one left wanting to support it but only up to VCD 2.0. DVD is the future and we can fight it all we want but it will win.

-- T (btp_shomchuen@hotmail.com), February 22, 1999.

Thanks Ben and Shomchuen for your very enlightening answers regarding the above VCD formats. Although Shomchuen may be right stating that the major manufacturers DVD players may not support SVCD. I personally feel that that would only be the case for DVD players made for the US market. If you look at the Asian consumer electronics market many major manufacturers, Panasonic, JVC, Philips et. al produce VCD players which are very low priced and "asian" in features, eg Karaoke, surround sound, etc. Therefore, if and when SVCD takes off in China, DVD players here in Asia would most likely be "asianised" to play SVCD. I think it is still very early to tell at this stage. But looking at the news reports, I think SVCD will come into Asia in a big way, remember any thing in Asia would succeed if it is low cost, backward compatible and its software easily replicated even with existing VCD replicating machines with some modifications. DVD would remain mainly as a niche market product in Asia.

Cheers :-)

-- Sethsolo (Sethsolo@hotmail.com), February 22, 1999.

I have a Philips 751 and it plays SVCD on CDR's and CDRW's.

-- Jack Home (Jack@home.net), May 17, 2001.

I believe the market at the disk level will fragment - all the 3 majors VCD, SVCD and DVD will stay on. VCD will die a natural death soon. SVCD (a standard developed in China) will take its place, it is much better than VCD. SVCD has been accepted by IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission - an international standards body) as an international standard. This is the best value for money compromise - Philips has officially been manufacturing SVCD player. Some of the Japanese major brands players actually play SVCD but they don't publicise it. You can find on the internet a listing of players with multi format playing capability.

DVD will become much more popular when the DVD-R writers drop in price. They have dropped from US 5K to les than US 1K (hence they been used in the latest Apple desktops). DVD-R is under severe competition fr DVD-RAM which is cheaper, however, there are limitations - DVD-RAM will not play on standalone DVD players.

If you want high quality movie and high capacity storage, you have to eventually go for DVD. Otherwise SVCD is very adequate.

-- Steve Lai (stevelai@magix.com.sg), May 18, 2001.

visit http://granavenida.com/vcdspain/vcdsp.html gist would help you if don't know spanish, except SONY, in Europe SVCD compatibility is normal. And CVCD, even in DVD recorders is becoming a standard for movie creators and rippers, and soon for selling series or soaps sesions, film collections for old films, promos, courses, making offs etc. USA is the only zone where CVCD is completely unused, there are even pages with complete films and it is growing a lot on edonkey http://www.edonkey2000.com (as a napster, but with ISOs Divxs, and CVCDs) better with bot.

-- Miguel Mayol (mmayol@iname.com), March 10, 2002.

If you want to known more about de cvcd compres system from a divx you can visit www.cvcdmania.tk and there you will find a simple manual to convert de divx in cvcd and with a table of the tv system of every country, in this page you can select to do the conversion from divx to cvcd with the pal valours or with the ntsc ones.

-- pepeleches (pubmxe@hotmail.com), October 23, 2002.

Enga, sigamos con el thread, que ya va pa 5 aņos :) My DVD player reads Divx too (jeje era facilita XD

-- Pepe Viyuela (pepeviyuela@mortadelo.com), November 09, 2003.