xvcd is not standart but svcd is standard format that support for mostly desktop player, so if compatible is your range svcd is the choice. i try use nero 5.0 to create svcd (mpeg2 convert from bbmpeg) than use media player but the movie is not smooth but when i try use prosvcd 3.3 everything is good. this player can dl from http://www.geocities.com/antibajak/eng.html remember if your authoring soft give warning about your mpeg files, it mean the mpeg files is not standart. so dont burn it :))

-- samuel (samuel@hotmail.com), May 08, 2000

Answers

XVCD is not standard format: This is true. Most software players will not play it at all including window media player! Prosvcd3.3 will play but the video is trashy with the video braking up in square pixels. However, Hardware decoder with software support will play these discs correctly! It is in the software translator for the mpeg1 clip video bitrate at playtime so it needs to be looked at. My ATI AIW128 will play XVCD disc. Some DVD standalone player will also play these discs correctly as well.

-- lnguyen (wingstarzz@hotmail.com), May 08, 2000.

your kidding all i make are xvcds and windows media player plays them nice and smooth with no problems at all. Also more dvd players now are allwoing higher bitrate vcds and super vcds. If you player can play a super vcd it will play an xvcd as well and vice versa. Also if your windows player is not playing an xvcd, go the microsoft site and Dl their latest version. try this www.microsoft.com

-- Doug (mazinz@aol.com), May 08, 2000.

Doug,

Talk to me my friend. I am having a problem playing my 2000kb/s XVCD with software VCD players and that includes window media player as well. I am using win98 SE on my laptop. If you have any idea let me know. These 2000kb/s has no problem playing on my pioneers DVD players at all. My desktop has an ATI AIW128 card and a DVD rom drive, and it has no problem playing the XVCD either; The desktop is using Win98 first edition. Window media player just hang up when i open up the *.dat file and would not response! The same is happening with the desktop. Only the VCD player on the ATI will play these XVCD clips. What do you think it is causing this problem?

-- lnguyen (wingstarzz@hotmail.com), May 08, 2000.

also the window media player i am using is 6.4.0.7

-- lnguyen (wingstarzz@hotmail.com), May 08, 2000.

Hmm whats funny is i think, well its 2 things really for one my system has a dvd rom that came with it 9i own a hewlett packard PC so i have no idea s to what kind of dvd rom they stuck in). Well for the record that garbage doesnt want to play my vxcds as well. So i pop it in my burner drive (plextor) and it plays fine. it could be just the rom drives. BUT i had to do a reformat of my c drive recently and when i tried my xvcds in either drive neithr of them would play it in windows media player. So i went to the microsoft site and dled the latest versiopn and they are playing once again (except for the crappy dvd rom drive). my windows media player number is 6.4.07.1112

-- Doug (mazinz@aol.com), May 08, 2000.

What exactly is the process to produce XVCD? Is it just a matter of increasing the bit rate but keeping the VCD burn format, or does it require a different type of format?

-- Bill (WTKatz@yahoo.com), May 13, 2000.

Doug,

You say your DVD drive will not play the XVCD discs anymore. Try an experiment, see if it will read a data CD-RW (try both a regular burned disc AND a Direct-CD formatted). If it will not read data CD-RWs, then the problem is that you need to re-load the UDF reader for the drive (can get from Adaptec site, or I can send). I had a similar problem with my DVD drive (but not with XVCD, as I don't have any) and the UDF solved it.

-- EG Marshall (4me@schoolmail.com), May 15, 2000.