Making VCDs

[Jeffrey]

I thought about putting this in the CD burning section, but this is more of a PC question. I am sure you guys know the tech of this procedure.

I've made VCDs before, but they take longer to make than the actual running time. On my 1.8 XP system it took almost half a day to make one 70 min VCD.

I see people selling VCDs all the time. I assume they make it on their PCs because it is just one guy usually. How can they make multiple VCDs quickly? Do they have a mass burner?

Is there a way to copy my VCD as I might copy a regular audio CD? In a few minutes? I am concerned about speed an ease of production. Perhaps the first pressing takes a long time because I am creating the image (?) Would it be a lot faster copying CD to CD?

 

[Curtis]

A CD - CD copy will work the same for a VCD as for an Audio CD. The reason the first one takes so long is because if it isn't already in VCD format, it needs to be converted and recompressed. Subsiquent copies of the CD will burn at the maximum speed of your burner.

 

[Ammut]

Curtis pretty much covered it... a cd fills up at the same speed regardless of what kind of data it is. I've never converted to vcd so I wouldn't know how long that takes but half a day? Damn that is slowwwwwwwww.

---Ammut

 

[gameboy900]

Basically the slow speed comes from the MPEG encoding that must happen to get the files into proper VCD spec. If they are already converted then the burning program just uses that. Keep in mind if you use your burning program to convert from the source files chances are it won't keep the converted files after the burn is completed. The only way to make another copy is to just use a direct copy method.

 

[Jeffrey]

So this is how the bootleg markets in Asia make game CDs as well? I wondered how all the dreamcast games and VCDs and Music CDs were together.

I have Nero. Does this mean the straight CD to CD copy will work on anything outside of a DVD?

 

[Curtis]

If it's a CD containing data - and anything on a CD is data by definition - then a CD to CD copy will work. The only thing to watch out for is some commercial discs have copy protection, in which case a CD to CD copy wont work.

"Bootleg markets" in Asia are more like an industry than a backyard operation. The Asian pirates have access to full commercial level printers and produce games just like the original sellers do, except without copy protection measures. They don't waste their time with CD-Rs and burners much.

 

[emazur]

If you are converting dvd's into vcd's and want speed (and ease of use) I suggest dvd2svcd available at dvd2svcd.org (yes it makes vcd's too, not just svcd's). There are at least 2 mpeg encoders you can use (cinemacraft and tmpegENC). Cinemacraft is much faster- on my p4 1.3, I can convert into vcd compatible mpegs at faster than real time (1.3x to 1.7x I think). The audio conversation and ripping takes time as well, but on my pc the whole job can be done in less than 4 hours (and the entire process is automatic). Sorry if this isn't what you're asking for- you never specifically mentioned dvd's as the source, but I just assumed

 

[Jeffrey]

Thanks for the advice. But I was actually thinking of making my own little movies and mass producing copies for friends. However, it is good to know what I can do.