--- Anand <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I've been hearing about some movies I'm interested in > which are on VCD. > Can Macs play those? Are there different formats? If so > do you need > different apps for each format? Are there some formats > that Macs can > not play?
Anand, As is usually the case, there will probably be someone who can answer you questions more definitively, but I will share with you my experience with VCDs. I purchased 3 VCDs through LowEndMac.com sponsor CoolVCD.com (a very good outfit by the way). The movies were Star Wars Trilogy (3 VCDs by itself actually), a Disney cartoon and Die Hard 3 (free selection). The quality of the discs were very similar. I had read through several different sources that the quality of VCDs was LaserDisc quality, higher than VHS or like a dubbed copy. All three of the selections that I have or more in the range of dubbed VHS copy more than anything else. When played from a stand-alone VCD player or DVD player, the difference between a VCD and original VHS movie is similar to the difference between a 128k MP3 and the CD sourced original. The quality is very good, but even without a comparison to the original, you can still tell that there are some short comings. When I played it on my Mac (PowerTower w/G3/300,512mb and 12x CD) it was a different story. The quality is superb. I attribute this to two factors. One, you have control of the window size, so that you can scale down the window to increase the perceived resolution. When played in a 320x240 window the picture is crystal clear with no noticeable frame drops, artifacts or sound depreciations. The other factor I believe is the processing power of the Macintosh. Even though it is software decoded, the movie format, MPEG video, is a handled well by QuickTime on the Mac. I imagine that the VCD and DVD players have a comparatively low-end chip that probably pulls multiple duties, thus degrading the quality. On the Mac, the processor, video and ram are all probably superior those of a stand-alone player and as such translates to a better VCD watching experience. As far as software, I used QuickTime 5 player. A simple drag and drop of the MPEG file and it was up and running. Even under a light load on my father's 7300/180 there were no problems with frame dropping or any other abnormalities. Someone has created a front end that keeps you from having to dig through the disc for the MPEG file. It is a small stand alone app that is a front end for QuickTime. You can probably find it by doing a search for 'VCD' at download.com or VersionTracker.com. As far a different formats go, I understand that there is a SuperVCD or VCD2 that essentially doubles the compression of the movie so you can fit more on one disc. You might try this site for more info on VCD: http://www.vcdhelp.com/ For purchases, as I said earlier, I had great service from CoolVCD.com. Quick email replies and very fast shipping. Hope this wasn't too long and helped answer some of your questions. Take care, Aaron Oechsli __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Games - play chess, backgammon, pool and more http://games.yahoo.com/ -- PCI-PowerMacs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Sonnet & PowerLogix Upgrades - start at $169 | & CDRWs on Sale! | SPECIAL LIST PRICES - Apple PCI Video Cards from $19.99, MacOS 8.5 CD $79.99 Replacement Parts IN STOCK, Apple CDROMs from $19.99 <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> PCI-PowerMacs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/pci-powermacs.shtml> Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive:<http://www.mail-archive.com/pci-powermacs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
