It took 2 test CDs to Best Buy and tried them in all the players. one on HP CDR media and the other on HP CDRW media.

Both were otherwise identical. They were captured on an all-in-wonder card, and converted to Mpeg using XingMpeg encoder on it's default VCD setting. Then burned using Adaptec VCD creator from version 3.5 at 2X.

The Sony DVP 600 accepted the CDR media as did the Pioneer 414, but neither could decode the data stream. They just played a black screen.

The Philips DVD825 recognized both the CDR and CDRW media AND was able to play back the video stream. So I bought the Philips :) When I read the manual I discovered this passage:

"It is important to note that CDR, CDRW discs must be finalized before they can be played on this player". So these media are definately supported.

Then I tried the absolute cheapest of cheap CDR media. Memorex unlabeled spindle pack, with a data layer so thin you can literaly see right through the CD when you hold it up to the light, and it read it with no problems.

Perfect. almost.... It seems that if the media is encoded in PAL format, the video output will also be PAL. No problem for me, since I bought it so I can archive my VHS collection, but if you have a bunch of PAL VCDs and your TV is NTSC you might do better with a dedicated VCD player.

-- Sean (sean@magnuminvestments.com), May 30, 1999

Answers

The manual is inconsistent regarding the PAL playback issue. If anybody tests a PAL VCD in this player please post feedback here.

Thanks

-- Sean (sean@magnuminvestments.com), May 30, 1999.

Really check out your 825. I returned mine for a Pioneer 525. The Phillips 825 has a firmware problem with VCD's.

1) FF and REW will not work 2) Does not have error traping, so VCD's will lockup when an error is detected. Most homemade VCD's contain errors, so error traping is very important.

The 825 can be upgraded from a disk provided by Phillips, but tech support told me that it would require many request for the upgrade to happen, because the 825 is discontinued.

I gave up - returned the unit for a Pioneer 525. It plays everthing I throw at it. Even VCD's with higher data rates, which is great for home movies. All the features work also (FF, REW, SLOW, SKIP etc...)

-- (Waltmid@hotmail.com), February 17, 2000.

I agree. I bought the Philipa for the same reason you did. I took my homemade VCD's down to Best Buy and it played everything. I noticed that on every CD I made that the playback would freeze up ay various places on the disk. I also noticed that very few of the remote features worked. I called Philips and was told that the playback problems were a playback issue. I then found this site and realized that quite a few Philips owners had the same problem and they finally acknowledged that it is a fault of the player but could not confirm id there was an upgrade in the works. After more than 90 days I returned the Philips and exchanged it for the Pioneer 525...Plays everything flawlessly and allt eh remote features work

-- Al McCraw (amccraw@ix.netcom.com), February 18, 2000.