How to make a working VCD

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Ok, I've got a high-end Sony DVD/CD/Video CD player. I wanna try this thing out called Video CD -- and I hear Toast can help me out!

So, I boot up Toast, select Video CD as the format, and drag-and-drop my MPG file (about 1 minute long, 10MB in size) onto the window. Burn. Success. Mount the Video CD -- it shows various folders called various things and some DAT files or something. Looks like a VCD should look, although I've never seen a VCD disk before, so I'm just trusting that Toast is doing what it says it's doing.

So I pop my freshly-made Video CD into my Sony DVD/CD/Video CD player. Nothing. Spins up a little, reads the disk a little, then spins down with a "No Disk" error. Where did I go wrong? I was told by a less-than-trustable friend that I can't burn a Video CD without a "Video CD burner." Ah, B.S. I tell him! I've never even HEARD of a Video CD burner. I thought a standard CD-R drive could burn a working Video CD.

Can anyone shed some light on this? Is it just impossible to burn a Video CD that'll play in my Sony DVD/CD/Video CD player from my Mac? Can someone tell me how they go about doing this type of thing?

Thanks in advance!

[kenny]

Sorry, but you may be hosed. I've been told that many of the Sony DVD/CD players will not deal with CDR/CDRW correctly at all. Have you tried burning an audio cd (with iTunes, for instance) to see if that'll play?

From what you described, Toast seems to have done the right things. I've never had any problem with toast making VCD's. They are often not real pretty (lowres, etc), but they do work. (I've got the Pioneer 434 player, BTW).

[themacko]

Try using a CDRW instead of a CDR. I have a Sony DVD player and VCD's on CDRW discs work just fine .. but for some reason VCD's on CDRs aren't recognized.

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Hmmm... from what I've heard, Sony-branded DVD/CD/Video CD players are supposed to be the MOST compatible with things like burned VCDs and what-not... I thought it was the Pioneer models that threw hissy-fits when you stuck a "foreign object" into them...

At any rate, I'll try the CD-RW trick. I'll have to get my hands on some CD-RWs first, but I'm looking forward to my success with those, hopefully!

And yeah, it does play my CD-R audio discs fine.

If I'm not mistaken, my Sony player actually has TWO lasers -- one for DVDs and one for CDs... a thinner, higher-concentrated laser for the DVDs and a standard laser for the CDs. I dunno. Maybe I'm just SOL.

[themacko]

Originally posted by testuser
Ah, so you experienced that same problem that I did, themacko?

I wish you had backed me up in the other forum, when Jadey accused me of smoking my CD-Rs (or of other incompetence)!

LOL, sorry man. I actually just figured this out a few days ago when I tried to make a VCD myself.

[Jadey]

Originally posted by testuser
Ah, so you experienced that same problem that I did, themacko?

I wish you had backed me up in the other forum, when Jadey accused me of smoking my CD-Rs (or of other incompetence)!

I didn't accuse you of anything. I simply stated that I have had no problems with VCDs on CD-Rs. Relax guy.

[ElDiabloConCaca]

The one that failed in my Sony player was a greenish-silver color. Like a VERY muted lime-green color. They're generic-brand CD-Rs, so that may have something to do with it...

I picked up some CD-Rs that were specifically for "audio" purposes -- the coloring was closer to a silver. I'll try those when i get the chance.

I thought the dark-blue CD-Rs were supposed to be good? I've always heard that Verbatim makes some very reliable media, and their CD-Rs are dark-blue colored.

[Jadey]

Sorry I can't narrow it down for you here. We've used all different brands of CD-Rs. I would say most of them would be blue or gold. We never use green for anything.