I used TMPGEnc to convert AVI to MPG. I tried both Nero 5 and Adaptec EZ Creator 4.03 to burn VCDs. VCDs from both the burning SW works fine on standlone DVD/VCD player such Apex 600A.

But the DAT files by the EZ creator are NOT playable on PC. I've tried Window Media Player 6 and some other players on PC. The VCDGEAR2.0 is not able to convert the DAT back to MPG either. VCDGEAR complains that the DAT file's signature is not valid. I also noticed that the size of DAT file by Adaptec is about 10% smaller than the original MPG. That is hard to understand.

Nero's DAT file is about 10% larger than the original MPG and working on PC. That is reasonable.

Any has any experience on that?

Thanks!

Steve

-- steve fu (sxfu@hotmail.com), March 06, 2001

Answers

I don't know why that is but at least now you know it's not for nothing that Easy CD is described as "unstable", "a half-hearted written piece of s/w", and "kvetchy" in polite circles. We are all waiting to see if Easy CD 5 will save the day or worsen it even more.

-- Mehmet Tekdemir (turk690@yahoo.com), March 07, 2001.

I don't believe that Win Media Player 6.0 will play DAT files. 6.4 is the highest rev for Win95, 7.0 for W98+ should.

-- me (snake_mountain@hotmail.com), March 08, 2001.

try powerdvd it plays dat files

-- poy (dginopoy@aol.com), March 08, 2001.

I too have a 600a which plays everything :-)

I have hit over 550 burns with my Mitsummi and NTI program. Maybe I can put some light on what happen.

I do DVD rips all the time to VCD. I have what I call a RAW Mpeg1 dat file after the rip. I load this into my NTI vcd maker software and make a VCD. Here is what happens. I now have this perfect VCD that plays on a DVD standalone. "BUT IT WON'T PLAY ON THE COMPUTER THAT MADE IT." So with the 4 computers in the house I went on a quest. My daughters computer played it just fine. "Hmmm" I thought we loaded a game with a codec in it that could read it the other 3 couldn't. "WRONG" her Cd-rom is a 24X. 3 people at work could play this VCD on their computer with a 48x and higher. So my theory was only a fast CD-rom could read these. My DVD-rom is 5x and couldn't, the CD-writer is 8x and couldn't. (Experiment)= So I took my daughters 24x and put inplace of my DVD-rom and guess what? IT PLAYED IT "No error" was given. I have to say that my findings is in the CD- rom laser.

{After the VCD copy was made. The pits are burned in a way that only the right adjustments on the CD-rom can read them. Meaning the red laser has to be set in the right angle and for it to be spinning fast enough to read it.}

I have got XING VCD player to play it on my computer for the first min. then it stops???

-- thepest (jamesthepest@aol.com), March 12, 2001.

my power dvd software seems to play the dat file, in a LG DVD drive.

-- matt heath (matthew.jessica@virgin.net), January 20, 2003.

I've got the newest version of PowerDVD, but it doesn't play .dat files!!!

-- Dix_Hammett (dickos@hotmail.com), January 22, 2003.

I can't speak to EZ Creator but I found that MyFlix will play .dat files created by Nero. I had a heck of a time finding a program that would play them. The .dat files that I played were not of a movie but were photos burned by Nero as a VCD.

-- Larry Roberson (lroberson@nc.rr.com), May 07, 2003.

I have a simillar problem. I have Win Xp and Combo drive. I am not able to play .DAT files using WMP 9 or Xing Media player Interesting thing is i am not able to copy the .DAT file to my harddrive. Please suggest.... Thanks in advance..

-- Ganesh P (ganeshp@infics.com), June 30, 2004.