New and having problems...Help!

[JMoore1951]

I am making a scrapbook for my parents (their past) and I want to put it on a disk...I got it on there ok with music. I can play it on my DVD player but not on theirs. It says disk unknown when I start on theirs. I noticed when I start playing on my DVD player it shows in the upper right hand corner (VCD 2.0 PBC on) I was wondering if this could be the problem, if so what is it and how do I get rid of it. Ty for the help.

[Squeak]

I have this same problem when using VCDs. VCD stands for Video CD and the problem is that not all DVD players will read a VCD. You have to send your slideshow to a DVD and try it that way.

I had been doing all my slideshows in a movie creating program, that way I can line up all the slides, transitions, and music so it makes a nice readable DVD.

Hope that helps.

[JMoore1951]

Thank you for the information, I will have to try that. I'm new to this, I really enjoy trying the digital scrapbooking. Thanks again.

[Lee]

The most comprehensive list of DVD players and their capabilities can be found at http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers. If they don't have it listed, it probably doesn't exist.

You should also be aware that not all VCD creation programs are the same. Some DVD players will play VCDs created by some programs but not others. The VCD1.1 format was used extensively in Asia for ripping off first run movies. A rice farmer is Vietnam making $25/month isn't about to pay $20 for a nicely packaged Tom Cruise movie on DVD but will pay $1 for a 2 VCD set. The format gained legitimacy about 13 years ago when it was adopted as a standard. Since then, it has been updated from VCD1.1 to VCD2.0. An expanded version, Super VCD (SVCD), was introduced in 2000.

What does all this mean and why should you care? As a standard, VCD has led a pretty chaotic life. Still, it is the best (easiest, fastest & cheapest) way to burn DVD compatible CDs. For the best standalone VCD creator, try ProShow. Professional photographers use ProShow Gold to present photos to clients where thousands of dollars are at stake. For most consumers, PS is more than adequate. Anyone can literally learn how to use PS in 5-10 minutes.

Hope that helps.

[Marion]

I have a fancy rewritable dvd and vcr player I paid $399 for and it doesn't play half the dvd's. Then I bought a cheap Phillips for around $60 dollars at Walmart and I have yet find a format it doesn't play! It is amazing, it plays everything!

Any way just thought I would share.

Lee the program you mentioned, ProShow Gold, do the pictures come out nice and clear? I noticed that the VCDs are fairly poor quality.

Marion

[Lee]

A good VCD is about VHS quality so it's not exactly something to write home about. Add the fact that television is a low resolution device and you're not going to get an image that looks as good as a jpeg on your PC monitor. The purpose of a VCD is to send slideshows on what looks like a DVD to your technologically challenged friends & family. Pros never show photos on TV, we always use a digital projector connected to our laptops.

One of the best DVD players used to be a cheap Mintek from WalMart (about $40). It played anything.

There's a free trial version on the ProShow site that you can test drive. BTW, you want ProShow, not ProShow Gold unless you want to do fancy pro things.

[Scrapbook MAX!]

Scrapbook MAX! makes the very same VCD format that ProShow makes, and it doesn't cost you anything extra. Simply choose File > Publish To > Video CD and you're done!

As Lee mentioned though, not every DVD player can support this type of disc. The best way to know if your player can read VCD discs is to try! It'll cost you 25 cents for a blank CD-R...