VCD file extension. NERO Express - creating a VCD How to open a vcd disk
VCD File Summary
The VCD file extension has one file type(s) and is associated with five different software, but mainly with MPlayer, developed The MPlayer Team. They are often presented in the format Virtual CD. The main part of these categories are classified as Disk Image Files.
The VCD file extension can be viewed on Windows, Mac and Linux. They are supported primarily on desktop computers and some mobile platforms. The popularity rating of VCD files is "Low", which means that these files are rarely found.
However, keep in mind that there is a lot more information to know about VCD files; The following provides only the most important details regarding these file types. If you are having trouble opening these files or want more information, please review the details below.
Popularity of file types
File Rank
Activity
This file type is still relevant and is actively used by developers and application software. Although the original software of this file type may be overshadowed by a newer version (eg Excel 97 vs Office 365), this file type is still actively supported by the current version of the software. This process of interacting with an old operating system or outdated version of software is also known as " backward compatibility».
File status
Page Last updated
VCD File Types
VCD Master File Association
Virtually access CD content from a CD or DVD without the need to expand the physical Drive.VCD file is used by JVC, Sony, Matsushita and Philips to store VHS quality video on optical discs.
Software that opens Virtual CD:
Compatible with:
| Windows |
| Mac |
| Linux |
Compatible with:
| Windows |
Compatible with:
| Windows |
Compatible with:
| Windows |
Compatible with:
| Mac |
Try a universal file viewer
In addition to the products listed above, we suggest you try a universal file viewer like FileViewPro. The tool can open over 200 different file types, providing editing functionality for most of them.
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Troubleshooting problems opening VCD files
Common problems opening VCD files
MPlayer is not installed
By double clicking on the VCD file you can see a system dialog box telling you "This file type cannot be opened". In this case, it is usually due to the fact that MPlayer for %%os%% is not installed on your computer. Since your operating system doesn't know what to do with this file, you won't be able to open it by double-clicking on it.
Advice: If you know of another program that can open the VCD file, you can try opening the file by selecting that application from the list of possible programs.
The wrong version of MPlayer is installed
In some cases, you may have a newer (or older) version of the Virtual CD file, not supported by the installed version of the application. If you do not have the correct version of the MPlayer software (or any of the other programs listed above), you may need to download a different version of the software or one of the other application software listed above. This problem most often occurs when working in an older version of the application software With file created in a newer version, which the old version cannot recognize.
Advice: Sometimes you can get a general idea of the version of a VCD file by right-clicking the file and then choosing Properties (Windows) or Get Info (Mac OSX).
Summary: In any case, most problems that occur while opening VCD files are due to not having the correct application software installed on your computer.
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Other causes of problems opening VCD files
Even if you already have MPlayer or other VCD-related software installed on your computer, you may still encounter problems while opening Virtual CD files. If you are still having problems opening VCD files, it may be due to other problems preventing these files from being opened. Such problems include (presented in order from most to least common):
- Invalid links to VCD files in the Windows registry (“phone book” of the Windows operating system)
- Accidental deletion of description VCD file in the Windows registry
- Incomplete or incorrect installation application software associated with the VCD format
- File corruption VCD (problems with the Virtual CD file itself)
- VCD infection malware
- Damaged or outdated device drivers hardware associated with the VCD file
- Lack of sufficient system resources on the computer to open the Virtual CD format
Quiz: Which of the presented files is a vector image file?
Right!
Close, but not quite...
The unique thing about vector files such as AI and EPS is that the graphic details (such as the sizes and shapes of objects) and text remain editable. This allows you to save and reopen them in Illustrator and edit text or other elements in the graphic.
File Extension Device Breakdown (Desktop/Mobile/Tablet)
Event of the day
A common image format, TIFF (Tagged Image File Format), was first developed for use with scanners in 1986 by Aldus Corporation. This format was created to solve many problems that came with too many incompatible proprietary formats in the technology industry.
How to fix problems opening VCD files
If you have installed on your computer antivirus program Can scan all files on your computer, as well as each file individually. You can scan any file by right-clicking on the file and selecting the appropriate option to scan the file for viruses.
For example, in this figure it is highlighted file my-file.vcd, then you need to right-click on this file and select the option in the file menu "scan with AVG". When you select this option, AVG Antivirus will open and scan the file for viruses.
Sometimes an error may occur as a result incorrect software installation, which may be due to a problem encountered during the installation process. This may interfere with your operating system link your VCD file to the correct application software, influencing the so-called "file extension associations".
Sometimes simple reinstalling MPlayer may solve your problem by linking VCD to MPlayer correctly. In other cases, problems with file associations may result from bad software programming developer and you may need to contact the developer for further assistance.
Advice: Try updating MPlayer to the latest version to ensure you have the latest patches and updates.
This may seem too obvious, but often The VCD file itself may be causing the problem. If you received a file via an email attachment or downloaded it from a website and the download process was interrupted (such as a power outage or other reason), the file may become damaged. If possible, try getting a new copy of the VCD file and try opening it again.
Carefully: A damaged file can cause collateral damage to previous or existing malware on your PC, so it is important to keep your computer up-to-date with an up-to-date antivirus.
If your VCD file related to the hardware on your computer to open the file you may need update device drivers associated with this equipment.
This problem usually associated with media file types, which depend on successfully opening the hardware inside the computer, e.g. sound card or video card. For example, if you are trying to open an audio file but cannot open it, you may need to update sound card drivers.
Advice: If when you try to open a VCD file you receive .SYS file error message, the problem could probably be associated with corrupted or outdated device drivers that need to be updated. This process can be made easier by using driver update software such as DriverDoc.
If the steps do not solve the problem and you are still having problems opening VCD files, this may be due to lack of available system resources. Some versions of VCD files may require a significant amount of resources (e.g. memory/RAM, processing power) to properly open on your computer. This problem is quite common if you are using fairly old computer hardware and at the same time a much newer operating system.
This problem can occur when the computer is having difficulty keeping up with a task because the operating system (and other services running in the background) may consume too many resources to open a VCD file. Try closing all applications on your PC before opening Virtual CD. Freeing up all available resources on your computer will provide you with the best conditions for attempting to open your VCD file.
If you completed all the steps described above and your VCD file still won't open, you may need to run equipment update. In most cases, even when using older versions of hardware, the processing power can still be more than sufficient for most user applications (unless you're doing a lot of CPU-intensive work, such as 3D rendering, financial/scientific modeling, or intensive multimedia work) . Thus, it is likely that your computer does not have enough memory(commonly called "RAM" or random access memory) to perform the task of opening a file.
Try refreshing your memory to see if this will help you open the VCD file. Today, memory upgrades are quite affordable and very easy to install, even for the average computer user. As a bonus, you you'll probably see a nice performance boost while your computer performs other tasks.
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I was prompted to write an article on this topic by purchasing a music center that could also play Video CDs and output video images to a TV. Before this, I had only viewed Video CDs on a computer, but now I had the opportunity to work with them, so to speak, in their “native environment.” The ability to use the music center as a video player interested me, in particular because I had quite a lot of movies in the DivX format, and viewing them on a computer monitor, especially not alone, was somewhat uncomfortable. The idea, therefore, was the following - to convert movies from DivX to Video CD, burn them to CD-RW discs, and then view them using a music center on a TV. At first glance, everything was simple, but in practice some difficulties arose, which were associated both with the variety of codecs that were used to create films in the DivX format, and with the differences in the methods of converting from DivX to Video CD by different programs. All this required both studying the nuances of various implementations of the DivX and Video CD formats, as well as practical conversion experiments, which resulted in this article.
First of all, a little theory. Video CD is a standard for recording video in MPEG-1 format on a regular CD. One disc can usually store up to 74 minutes of video, the quality is comparable to the VHS standard. A single-speed CD-ROM is sufficient for playback. The following format versions exist:
VCD 1.0
Was developed in 1992. Only supports NTSC standard. Video output format - 352x240, 29.7 frames/sec, bitrate - 1150 Kb/sec, audio output format: MPEG-1 Layer II Stereo, one audio track, Bitrate - 224 Kb/sec.
VCD 1.1
Was developed in 1993. The same as VCD 1.0, only playback control (PBC - PlayBack Control) has been added, which is carried out by flipping through tracks, as in AudioCD.
VCD 2.0
Was developed in 1994. The most common format currently used is VideoCD. Video output format - PAL - 352x288, 25 frames/sec, NTSC - 352x240, 29.7 frames/sec, Bitrate - 1150 Kb/sec, Still images: PAL - 352x288 NTSC - 352x240. Audio output format: MPEG-1 Layer II Stereo, one audio track, Bitrate - 224 Kb/sec. As background music for still images, you can use audio formats - stereo, join stereo with bitrates of 128, 192, 224 or 384 Kb/sec, mono - 64, 96 or 192 Kb/sec. The ability to control playback has been expanded, supporting up to 1980 still images/audio files. It is possible to use only video files (without sound).
Super VideoCD format
The standard for recording video in MPEG-2 format on a regular Compact Disk, the quality is comparable to the SVHS standard. Video output format - PAL - 480x576, 25 frames/sec, NTSC - 480x480, 29.7 frames/sec, Variable bitrate up to 2600 Kb/sec, Still images: PAL - 480x576, NTSC - 480x480. Audio output format: two stereo tracks in MPEG-1 Layer II format with bitrates from 32 to 384 Kb/sec, or four mono tracks, or one multi-channel MPEG Multichannel. Playback control capabilities are identical to VCD 2.0.
As you can see, the highest quality is ensured by the standard Super VideoCD, but only DVD players, Sony PS-2 and computers can play it, which forces us to opt for VCD 2.0.
Movies in the DivX format can be recorded in different resolutions, bit rates, and audio formats. To analyze files in the DivX format, I recommend the gspot program (full name Gspot Codec Information) from the K-lite codec pack (http://home.hccnet.nl/h.edskes/finalbuilds. htm), by the way, I recommend using it as a DivX driver on your computer, since it supports almost all available codecs of this format.
Let's launch gspot(Programs/K-lite Codec Pack/Tools/Gspot Codec Information). Let's select a video file in DivX format for analysis (File/Open). Gspot will display the analysis results as shown in Figure 1.
Rice. 1. Results of analysis of a file in DivX format by Gspot.
We are interested in the data displayed on the right side of the window - these are groups of fields Video and A audio. In a field group Video shows the codec with which the file is compressed (in this case DivX 3), playback time (in this case 1 hour, 37 minutes 34 sec.), video format (512 * 288 in this case), number of frames per second (25 in our case). From this information it is clear that the source film was in PAL format, that is, there will be no special distortion when transcoding to VCD, we only need to take into account height scaling. In a field group Audio we can see the compression method of the audio track (in our case, MPEG-1 Layer 3), and its format (single channel, stereo, 44.1 kHZ, bitrate 96 k/b per second), this information will also be useful to us when transcoding.
All the software that I tested while burning VideoCD discs can be divided into the following groups:
- All-in-one programs that both convert from other video formats to MPEG-1 format and burn discs in VideoCD format, as well as the ability to create discs with a custom design (this is called disc authoring).
- Programs that only record and disc authoring in VideoCD format.
- Programs that only convert files in other video formats to MPEG-1.
Convert DivX movies to Video CD format
The most convenient and simple program of the first group is Roxio WinOnCD(http://www.roxio.de/). This program can burn both data discs and audio and video discs. Load WinOnCD and select Open Video Project(open a video project), a list of options for creating video discs will be displayed, as shown in Fig. 2. A very convenient option available is to create Overspan Video CD(that is, automatically placing a video file on two disks if it does not fit on one). This option is one of the strengths of this program; most other all-in-one programs cannot do this. The option is very convenient, since, as experience has shown, a DivX-compressed film of 700 Mb in size, when converted to MPEG-1 with maximum quality, will take about 1 GB, which definitely will not fit on one disk. So let's choose Overspan Video CD, the project window will appear in front of us (Fig. 3).
Rice. 2. List of options for creating video discs in the WinOnCD program 
Rice. 3. Overspan Video CD Project Window
In the upper left part of the window there is a directory tree on the current disk, in the upper right there is a list of files in the current directory. At the bottom of the window there is a settings window. You can start creating a Video CD by simply using the mouse to move the desired video file into the options window, tab Editor. First, the format compatibility window will be displayed (Fig. 4). Characteristics that do not comply with the MPEG-1 specification will be highlighted in red, along with a message about possible incorrect encoding. We take note of this and click on Ok. On the left we will see the structure of our project (if we are going to record several video fragments into one project, we can set the order of switching between them here), and on the right - icons of the placed video fragments (Fig. 5). Here we can adjust the video fragment if we need it (expand it, insert a background or text, etc.). All of these options are intended for creating custom VideoCDs, so we won’t touch on them for now. It is important to check the conversion options (button Settings). The disc must be in PAL format, standard for our region, and have a bitrate of 1151600 bps, since higher bitrates are normally reproduced only by devices that support the Super Video CD format. Bookmarked Tracks we can see the structure of the created discs, as well as the playback time (Fig. 6). After that, let's move on to the bookmark Record, and set the recording parameters (Fig. 7). Here we can set the recording speed, as well as whether we write directly to a CD, or create an image on the hard drive. When all parameters are set, click on the button Record in the lower right side of the window.
Rice. 4. Compatibility test. 
Rice. 5. Editor tab. 
Rice. 6. Tracks tab. 
Rice. 7. Record tab.
Now we will have to be patient, because in addition to physically burning to a CD, the video transcoding process must be completed (more than an hour on a computer with a Pentium 4 2.53 MHz processor for a 700 MB file). All this time, WinOnCD invites us to admire the progress of the process (Fig. 8).
Rice. 8. The process of burning a VideoCD disc in the WinOnCD program
Now about general impressions of working with WinOnCD. The indisputable advantages of this program are a very user-friendly interface and the ability to automatically split a video file into several discs. However, WinOnCD also has serious disadvantages. First of all, these are problems with sound after conversion. This is especially true for those films where the soundtrack is in MPEG Layer 3 format. The sound may disappear in places, “croak” or be completely absent. Another serious disadvantage is the lack of the ability to batch process files, because it is much more convenient to leave the conversion of several files, for example, overnight, than to wait several hours for this process to finish.
These problems forced me to look for a more professional program that would have more options for customizing the conversion process. I found two such programs. This TMPGEnc Studio(http://www.pegasys-inc.com/) and Canopus Pro Coder(http://www.canopus.com/). Based on their functionality, I would classify them as the third group.
TMPGEnc Studio rearranges a set of independent utilities consisting of the following programs:
- TMPGEnc Plus is a utility for converting various video data into MPEG-1 and MPEG-2, has a basic set of editing tools (allows you to cut an MPEG file into parts, combine several files into one, perform multiplexing and de-multiplexing).
- TMPGEnc MPEG Editor - an editor that has more powerful MPEG file editing tools than TMPGEnc Plus
- TMPGEnc DVD Author - Quite a powerful DVD authoring program
- TMPGEnc DVD Source Creator is a program for creating MPEG-2 files for TMPGEnc DVD Author.
- TMPGEnc Sound Player is an AC-3 audio data creation tool for TMPGEnc DVD Author.
- TMPGEnc Xpress is a video data conversion utility based on TMPGEnc Plus, but has a more user-friendly interface.
TMPGEnc Plus is available for download online as a separate utility, and I first tried using it for MPEG-1 encoding. The program pleased us with the presence of a larger set of settings, the possibility of batch conversion and high encoding speed. But again there was a problem with audio conversion if the source was in MPEG-3 format - TMPGEnc Plus simply did not perceive the audio track in the DivX file. The documentation indicated that to support MPEG-3 encoding it is necessary to install an external encoder - MAENC, tooLAME or SCMPX, but this also did not help. Then I tried using , and to my great joy everything worked! Let's look at this program in more detail. The TMPGEnc Xpress interface is designed according to the wizard principle - you are prompted in turn to set parameters for each stage of the encoding process, which will be convenient for a beginner (Fig. 9). The encoding stages are visually displayed at the top of the program window in the form of buttons.
Pressing a button Start New Project entails displaying a window for setting source parameters. Click on the button Add file… to select the source file. A window will appear Add clip(Fig. 10), bookmark Clip Info.
Rice. 9. TMPGEnc Xpress 
Rice. 10. Add clip window, Clip Info tab.
Bookmarked Clip Info General settings for the current video file are displayed: its duration, number of frames per second, resolution, audio track parameters. Parameters in the field Advanced Clip Setting we leave them unchanged, it is recommended to change them only if TMPGEnc Xpress cannot set them independently. Using a bookmark Cut-Edit The original video file can be cut into parts. Bookmarked Filter contains filters that can be applied during encoding (Fig. 11). Here you can remove interlace (filter Deinterlace, by default correction occurs only when necessary), scale the image (filter Resize, in our case it is recommended to use with the following parameters: image location - full screen while maintaining the scale factor, scaling method - adaptive), select the image area (filter Group), remove ghost image (filter Ghost reduction), remove noise (Noice reduction filter), increase clarity (filter Sharpness), correct color (Color Correction filter) and sound (filter Audio Correction, which allows you to reduce noise, increase the overall volume, select the required language track if there are several of them in the original, for example, in different languages). A very convenient bookmark feature Filter is the presence of a preview window, which allows you to immediately evaluate the effect of applying filters.
Rice. 11. Add clip window, Filter tab.
Having confirmed the choice of settings, exit the bookmark Filter. The main program window will appear with a list of video files selected for conversion. Here we can add several other files using the button Add file…, each with its own filter settings, or go to the stage of setting the parameters of the output file by clicking on the button Set Output at the top of the window.
After clicking the Set Output button, a window will appear with a list of available output formats (Fig. 12). Select a Video CD in the PAL standard and click on the Select button to go to the window Set Output(Fig. 13). Here you can set some encoding options. In the Video tab, the characteristics of the output video stream are set. Motion Search Precision sets the accuracy of determining dynamic scenes during encoding. The higher the accuracy, the fewer errors when encoding dynamic scenes, but the more time is spent on encoding. Option Detect Scene Change It is also advisable to enable it to improve image quality, it detects dramatic changes in the scene and sets it as an image, it also helps reduce the level of noise that is usually present in compressed DivX films (for example, squares in the background). The option serves the same purpose Soften Block Noise, when using which, however, you need to take into account that this may affect the clarity of the image. In the lower right part of the window you can see the approximate size of the output file.
Rice. 12. List of preset formats. 
Rice. 13. Set Output window.
After setting the parameters, click on the Encode button to display the corresponding window, which sets how the encoding process will proceed. Here you can specify an action after encoding is completed (for example, turn off the computer), register the current task for batch encoding using TMPGEnc Xpress Batch Ebcoder or set preview options when encoding.
Unlike WinOnCD, encoded with TMPGEnc Xpress MPEG-1 the files were played on a music center with sound without distortion and with acceptable graphics quality, but a problem arose with periodic image corruption. When I pressed pause and resumed playback, this problem disappeared. Since this file was reproduced on a computer without problems, the reason lies in the coding features of the program itself - obviously the resulting file is missing some part of the control frames, which when processed on this device leads to the accumulation of errors.
This problem forced me to try using for encoding Canopus Pro Coder.
Canopus Pro Coder its functionality is very similar to, but its interface is organized according to a different principle. The encoding process is divided into three stages: Source, Target and Convert, which are implemented as buttons on the left side of the program window. Selecting a file for encoding is done by pressing the button Source(Fig. 14). Pressing a button Advanced displays a window where you can apply audio and video filters, and if necessary, trim part of the file. The set of filters is slightly larger than in - you can superimpose a still image and more accurately correct interlaced video. A preview window is also present. By pressing a button Target we call up the output format selection window (Fig. 15). In addition to the formats present in TMPGEnc Xpress, encoding in Raw, QuckTime, WM, DivX and MP3, as well as optimization for WEB, is also available here. Let's choose MPEG1-VCD-PAL, after which a window with the parameters of the output file is displayed (Fig. 16). Here you can set its quality and proportions. If we need a more precise setup of the conversion process, then using the button Advanced you can call up a window where all available settings are fully displayed (Fig. 17). For convenience, they are organized in the form of a hierarchical structure, which allows us to quickly find the parameter we are interested in using general criteria. A very convenient option is Target File Splitting(the ability to split the output file into parts), this feature is similar to Overspan in WinOnCD, and is absent in TMPGEnc Xpress (in this program, in order to cut a file into two parts, you have to convert the file twice, cutting off the first half and then the second).
Pressing a button Convert calls up the encoding window, where, as in the case of TMPGEnc Xpress, you can set an action after encoding is completed or register the current task for batch encoding (Fig. 17). Batch encoding is carried out using the included task scheduler Job Queue Manager.
Rice. 14. Canopus Pro Coder, Source stage 
Rice. 15. Canopus Pro Coder, output format selection window 
Rice. 16. Canopus Pro Coder, Target stage 
Rice. 17. Canopus Pro Coder, Target stage, additional parameters window 
Rice. 18. Canopus Pro Coder, Convert stage
Now that the MPEG-1 file is ready, you can start burning it to a CD. Any program that can burn Video CDs is suitable for this purpose, for example, the widely used one in our country. Nero Burning ROM, or the same WinOnCD. The recording procedure is quite simple - we create a project in VideoCD format and simply transfer the file we converted into MPEG format into it.
The most common problem that prevents users from opening this file is an incorrectly assigned program. To fix this in Windows OS, you need to right-click on the file, in the context menu, hover the mouse over the “Open with” item, and select “Select a program...” from the drop-down menu. As a result, you will see a list of installed programs on your computer, and you can select the appropriate one. We also recommend checking the box next to "Use this application for all VCD files."
Another problem that our users also encounter quite often is that the VCD file is corrupted. This situation can arise in many cases. For example: the file was downloaded incompletely as a result of a server error, the file was damaged initially, etc. To resolve this problem, use one of the recommendations:
- Try finding the file you need in another source on the Internet. You may have luck finding a more suitable version. Example Google search: "File filetype:VCD" . Just replace the word "file" with the name you want;
- Ask them to send you the original file again, it may have been damaged during transmission;
The main disadvantage of the VCD format is that a full-length film only fits on 2 CDs. This greatly affects the cost, so 1 film costs 165-185 rubles, even a pirated copy costs more than a hundred, which is much more expensive than a video cassette, with almost the same quality. Therefore, VCDs are not very common in our country. VCD is perceived more as exotic.
Until recently, it was believed that it was impossible to record a film in acceptable quality on one CD. But since the development of the VCD format (1993), 2 or 3 generations of computers have passed. It has become possible to use more advanced compression methods and take more into account the peculiarities of human perception, because the main requirement for video compression formats is the possibility of decompression in real time. So in November 1998, a new development by the Moving Picture Expert Group was announced - the MPEG4 standard, part of which is video compression. The hardware requirements for video playback in MPEG4 are high - you need a PentiumII300 (Compare with P133 for VCD). But due to more advanced compression, it has become possible to compress video much more than when using MPEG1 (VCD). Now you can easily put a movie on 1 CD with quality even better than VCD! On the other hand, such hardware requirements are no longer serious - any computer from those currently produced and sold will do. The situation is reminiscent of what it was like 5 years ago, when the MPEG1 Layer3 format appeared. Remember the multimedia discs “All albums of the group” in ADPCM 22050 Hz 4bit format - terrible quality, but they worked on fours. Then mp3 appeared - the file size was the same, but the quality was an order of magnitude higher, but a Pentium was needed. And all due to the complication of the algorithm. Some even call MPEG4 "the mp3 of the video world." This format has every chance to replace MPEG1 and MPEG2: it, first of all, provides better quality with the same file size or a smaller size with the same quality, greater flexibility in choosing resolution, frame rate and bit rate, better transmission of fast motion, shorter compression time, easily combined with different audio codecs, less sensitive to loss of part of the data, well suited for watching video over the network in real time.
So, let's return to the topic of our article. It is clear that the maximum we can achieve is to make sure that the resulting film differs from the original one as little as possible. In fact, there may even be some subjective improvement in quality due to greater smoothness of frame changes during movement. First of all, we need an MPEG4 codec. Today there are 2 such codecs - “Microsoft MPEG-4 Video Codek” (V1, V2, V3) and DivX ;-) MPEG-4 (Fast-Motion and Low-Motion). DivX is actually just a hacked version of the same Ms MPEG4 Codeka, as the authors claim, they removed the glitches and slightly improved it. Ms MPEG4 is installed, for example, along with Windows Media Tools (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/mediaplayer/). To install the DivX codec you need to download and install “divx_311alpha.exe” (). You may also need to install Direct X Media. Both of these codecs allow you to set the following compression parameters: Data Rate (data stream size), Key frame interval (interval between key frames) and Compression Control (smoothness/crispness, smoothness/clarity ratio). Let's take a closer look at these parameters.
Data Rate is the most important value; both video quality and file size depend on it. The larger it is, the higher the quality, but the larger the file size. Measured in bits per second. In MPEG4, with this parameter we set the maximum value of the data stream; the real value depends on the content of the movie at the moment and can constantly change. For example, when compressing movie titles, the DataRate is reduced by more than half.
Key frame interval - MPEG4, according to Microsoft terminology, refers to interframe (interframe) compression methods, i.e. one where a small number of key frames (Key frame or I-Frame) are completely preserved, the remaining frames (Delta frames) contain only the difference between previous and subsequent frames. Key frame interval specifies the interval between key frames. This is what explains the delay when trying to start a movie from any place - in order to show an arbitrary frame, the player must return to the key frame and build all the frames to the desired one. It would seem that the more key frames, the better. However, it is not. The fact is that a key frame requires more data than an intermediate one, and when a key frame is inserted, less information remains on subsequent frames (after all, the flow is limited). In general, modern codecs can make do with a very small number of key frames. So, for example, the VDO codec puts 1 class. frame for 9999 frames, and for the MPEG4 codec in the NetShow program the default value is 1 class. frame at 3600 sec. In fact, the Key frame interval value for the MPEG4 codec only means the maximum distance between keys. frames, the MPEG4 encoder inserts the key itself. shots in difficult moments. When changing scenes quickly, it can even insert a few keys. frames in a row. In addition to rewinding the terminal. The frames are also needed for editing the film without recompression; using them you can easily cut the film into pieces and then glue them together. The best thing to do with this setting is to leave it at its default.
Compression Control (Smoothness/crispness) - Smoothness determines the smoothness of movement, crispness determines the sharpness or detail of the image. Unfortunately, these quantities are mutually exclusive, i.e. if you increase one, the other decreases. In general, this parameter is only important for low DataRate or frame rates less than 20 Hz. At high DataRate, when changing this parameter, the films turn out exactly the same. For our task, it is more correct to set the clarity to maximum or leave the default value.
Let's compare these codecs using my program (630 KB). This program compares 2 video clips and expresses the difference as a number, taking into account the peculiarities of perception. The smaller the difference, the more similar the clips are to each other. More detailed information about the principles of operation of the program can be found in its instructions. Unfortunately, it was not possible to use version 3 Ms of the codec for comparison. The fact is that Microsoft, starting with version 3845 of its codecs, closed V3 for use in programs other than ASF encoding tools. So, from one source clip in MPEG1 format we will make 15 others for each codec, with Data Rate varying from 100 to 1500 in steps of 100, while keeping the other parameters constant (Key frame=10, Compression Control=100). Let's measure the file sizes and the differences between each resulting clip and the original one. Based on the obtained data, we will construct graphs of the dependence of Differences/DataRate and Size/DataRate. The source clip was a commercial for the film “The 6th Sense” (file “add01.mpg”) with the sound removed, size 7 MB. This file was taken from a licensed disc with the film “The 6th Sense”. I cut a three minute fragment and removed the sound from this file. The original file was about 30 MB in size. I chose this film as my source film because it contains diverse scenes. In general, this choice was to some extent random.
Based on these graphs, the following conclusions can be drawn (do not forget that the lower the difference graph, the better):
- All codecs behave approximately the same, a common origin is visible. The only exception is DivX Fast-Motion. It is not clear what they did with it, although it is possible that at very low DataRate (less than 300) it will give some advantage, although this is not a fact. In any case, for our task we need a DataRate of at least 600, but here DivX Fast-Motion has a clear deterioration. We won't talk about it in the future.
- When DataRate is less than 700, the file size increases linearly; with larger values, the size begins to asymptotically approach a certain value - here the asynchrony of the format is clearly visible (i.e., the dependence of the current DataRate value on the contents of the frame). Most likely, the division into linear and nonlinear parts of 700 occurred only for my video fragment - it is very dynamic. For other movies, this division will occur at a lower DataRate. From this we can conclude that it is impossible to predict the file size in advance; you can only estimate it from above.
- The difference graph is almost a correct hyperbole. But the differences tend not to 0, but to 5.5 - this value is the result of smoothing during compression and cannot be called a deterioration; subjectively, this smoothing even improves the image. For clarity, I conducted our experiment for DataRate equal to 5000. The differences remained at the level of 5.5, and the file size at 7 MB. It turns out that, starting from a certain point, increasing the DataRate does not significantly improve the quality, and the file size increases.
- It makes no sense to make the DataRate more than 1200; the size of the MPEG4 file turns out to be almost the same as the original MPEG1 file. Although this is not surprising - the VCD format implies a bitrate of 1150kbps for video and 224kbps for sound.
- With high DataRate, DivX Low motion has a slightly smaller size, but slightly worse quality; strange jumps are observed in the graph.
To somehow characterize the “Difference” value on the graph, I will say that when the difference is less than 8, I can no longer distinguish the resulting film from the original one, with the exception of some frames. At a value greater than 12, the quality is simply terrible. But, of course, this is all very subjective.
(Let me remind you that the specific numbers in the graph are correct only for my test film, but the general patterns will be preserved for any)
Based on all of the above, I can recommend using MS MPEG4 Codek V2. Firstly, neither you nor your friends will have problems with the codec; you won’t have to download or install anything. Even if you have a very old version of Ms Media Player, it will connect to the Internet and install everything you need, completely without your participation. Secondly, using hacked software is somehow not good, especially if the original one is completely free. Thirdly, it is unknown what the hackers could have ruined there.
Now let's move on to the practical part of the article. I must warn you that the resulting films in MPEG4 format will not be viewable either on DVD/VCD players or on game consoles. All software mentioned in the article is free and available for free download.
On VCD video files have the extension *.dat. This is not exactly MPEG1, more precisely it is MPEG1 to which some information necessary for VCD players has been added. In any case, this information must be deleted. There is a special utility for this, VCDGEAR2.0(). Launch it, select the conversion type dat->mpeg. Using the “Load” button, select the dat file on the VCD and where we want to save it. "Start" button. The speed of this conversion depends on the speed of your CD-ROM and will take no more than 10 minutes. As a result, you will receive an MPEG file that will be 7-8 megabytes less than the original DAT file. At this stage, we may face a serious problem. The fact is that the loss of 1 byte on a regular CD-ROM with programs can be fatal. Therefore, about 1/8 of the entire disk is occupied by all kinds of codes for error detection and correction. When an error is detected while reading a data disk, this fragment is attempted to be read several more times at a reduced speed. The situation with VCD is different. Consistency of flow is much more important, and reading errors can be ignored. It’s better to have a couple of green squares flash in the corner than to have to watch one frame for 20 seconds. Therefore, for VCD, the “White Book” format is used, in which most of the control codes are simply removed.
As a result, it is difficult to copy a movie from VCD to hard drive without errors. Of course, the VCDGEAR program corrects errors in the MPEG format if any occur during reading, but only small ones. Therefore, before reading, it is recommended that you carefully wipe the disc free of debris and heat it in a CD-ROM for several minutes. If an error does appear during reading (and I will write below how to check this; the operating system, naturally, does not produce errors, because the necessary control codes are simply not there), then you can try to perform this operation several more times, you can first copy the dat file to HDD and after converting to mpeg, you can even try to exit to DOS and copy the file there. Although if you have a modern CD-ROM, then there should not be any special problems.
MPEG4 allows you to use any available audio codec for audio encoding. MPEG1 Layer3 is a good choice. Install, for example, Fhg Radium MP3 codec ( ftp://ftp.ssga.ru/pub/DISTR/mp3soft/Encoders/ra-codec12.zip). In what follows, we will use the excellent VirtualDub1.3d() program as our main tool.
Now let's get down to the actual compression. We will work on both parts of the film separately and stitch them together at the very end.
1. Launch VirtualDub. Open the MPEG1 file (File/Open Video File). It takes a long time to open an mpg file, as the integrity of the format is checked. If the file does not open, it means there is an error in it, it is better to try reading the file again. If this does not help, try enabling the “Popup extended open options” option in the file selection window and then selecting “Accept partial MPEG streams”. If this does not help, then you will have to cut out the damaged parts in some powerful video editor, but such situations are rare; for example, I have never had one.
2. Select full audio compression (Audio/Full processing mode). Select the audio codec (Audio/Compression/MPEG Layer3) and select the audio compression parameters. I think it's not worth saving on sound. You won’t save much anyway, but you will lose a lot. They say that sound gives half the impression, but it takes up much less. But on the other hand, we cannot get better quality than at the source. Therefore, it is optimal to choose 128kBit/s, 44100, Stereo, although this depends on the specific situation.
3. Next, set full video compression (Video/Full processing mode). Select the video codec (Video/Compression). Set compression parameters (Configure). As we have already agreed, we leave the Keyframe and Compression Control parameters unchanged. All that remains is to select Data Rate. We proceed from the fact that you need to get a film that will fit on 1 CD-R, i.e. it should be no more than 650 MB. But, as I already said, it will not be possible to calculate the size of a compressed film in advance; it can only be estimated from above using the formula:
M=(T*60*(BV+BS)/8)/1024
where M is the file size in megabytes, T is the duration of the film in minutes, BV is DataRate, BS is the audio stream value in bits per second.
Or BV=(M*8*1024)/(T*60)-BS
The accuracy of the assessment depends on the dynamics of the film. But on the other hand, it is not at all necessary to fill up the entire disk; in the remaining space you can, for example, place the Sound Track for a movie in mp3 format or photographs of artists. In principle, a Data Rate of 600 Kbps already gives quite decent quality.
4. Sometimes phrases like “insert disc 2” are placed at the beginning and end of each disc; they need to be removed. Using the movie navigation buttons, we determine the frame numbers from which the movie itself begins and ends. Set the range that we want to compress (Video/Select Range).
5. The compression itself. Select File/SaveAvi, specify the path and enter the file name. All. Now we have to wait. The compression process in MPEG4 is an order of magnitude faster than, say, in MPEG2. I can compress half a movie in just 3 hours on my Celeron 75x5.5. Ms MPEG4 codec supports dual processor configuration. Microsoft claims that dual 400 MHz PentiumIIs can perform this compression in real time.
6. After both parts of the film are ready, all that remains is to glue them together. Usually, the creators of the disc choose a place to divide the film into two parts that is quite suitable, i.e., at a change of shots, so after gluing the joint is usually unnoticeable. Open the first compressed part in VirtualDub, select File/Append Video Segment and add the second part. Disable compression (Video/Direct Stream Copy, Audio/Direct Stream Copy). We save the whole movie in 1 file - Save Avi. In the same way, you can trim unnecessary pieces of an already converted film (if you specify the appropriate Range), but only up to a key frame.
If you do everything as stated above, then there will be no problems with sound synchronization, it has been checked many times. Synchronization may be disrupted if extra frames appear during compression, but this can be easily checked - we remember the number of frames in the original mpeg1 film and compare it with the number of frames in the converted one (unless, of course, you crop anything). The FlasK MPEG program, which many recommend for these purposes, suffers from this problem. VirtualDub saves the number of frames 1 in 1.
This article is a recommendation, I may be wrong in some ways, so experiment more. In any case, you can now convert a VCD movie to MPEG4 and burn it onto 1 CD-R without losing quality.
In general, the capabilities of MPEG4 are much greater; in this case, the original VCD quality greatly limited us. You can achieve almost ideal MPEG4 video quality only by compressing DVD discs. But converting DVD to MPEG4 is very different from converting VCD to MPEG4. The following problems arise:
- First of all, the DVD format, unlike VCD, was designed with fairly serious copyright protection. You cannot copy files from a DVD as easily as from a VCD. It is more like a regular audio CD, that is, you can browse the directory, but you cannot copy the file. You need to use special grabber programs.
- DVD discs come in both NTSC and PAL
- DVD is designed for viewing on a TV, so often the information is recorded in fields - i.e. 50 or 60 half-frames of even and odd lines in turn per second. When compiling a full frame, “teeth” are formed along the edges of moving objects, since even and odd lines of one frame are recorded with a time difference.
- When converting DVD to MPEG4, you need to reduce the frame size (for example, to 352x288) - there are also many such reduction algorithms - bilinear, bicubic, HQ bicubic... - they differ greatly in quality and speed.
I want to write my next article about solving these issues.
Creating a video disc at home is not at all difficult; all you need is the original video material, free time and, of course, Nero.
This section will tell you how to create Video CD (VCD) and Super Video CD (SVCD), although the formats of these discs are different, recording for them is completely the same and creating two identical partitions would be unwise. If necessary, short explanations will be added along the text.
Briefly about formats:
Video CD is the first format for recording video on CDs. Video on it is recorded in MPEG-1 format with a resolution of 352x288 in the PAL system with a frequency of 25 frames per second. Or in the NTSC system with a resolution of 352x240 with a frequency of 29.97 frames per second.
Super Video CD- from the name it is clear that this is a later format and, accordingly, of higher quality. For video, the MPEG-2 format is used with a resolution of 480x576 in the PAL system with a frequency of 25 frames per second. Or in the NTSC system with a resolution of 480x480 with a frequency of 29.97 frames per second.
Now let's start recording directly, launch Nero Express:
When asked which recorder to use, select CD-R/RW from the drop-down menu. If the computer is equipped only with a CD-RW drive, this menu will not appear.
Let's start creating a disk by choosing its type. On the right side of the window a menu is shown asking you to create a disc - select Video CD (Super Video CD). To do this, simply move the mouse pointer to the desired item and see a new menu like this:
Select Video CD (Super Video CD) by simply clicking on it with the mouse button. That's it, the disc type has been determined, now let's move directly to the recording itself.
A project window appears, in which we will create a new disk.
Those who have already worked with Nero Express will immediately notice that creating a VSD (Super Video CD) is reminiscent of burning an ordinary CD, and the initial settings are almost completely the same. But let's continue...
There are two ways to place files in a project: the first of them is to use the “add” button.
In the window that appears, select the desired file and click the “add” button; the selected file automatically appears in the project window. Nero will estimate the size of the future file and display it on the disk space scale.
By the way, when creating a project, you can track the degree of disk fullness with an accuracy of one megabyte; in the lower left corner of the project window there is a corresponding entry - used and the total amount of occupied space is shown. After finishing filling out the project, click the “finish” button.
At the bottom of the window there is a drop-down menu “File types”; if you select video files in it, then only video will be displayed in the “Select files and folders” window, other files will not be shown.
The type of file display and window appearance can be changed using the button.
The second method is even simpler: just select the file we need in any Windows window and drag it into the project window with the mouse. And thus fill the entire project.
After the files for recording are prepared, we evaluate the future disc again; if an “extra” file is included in the project, it can be deleted using the “delete” button; the video can be evaluated with the “play” button.
It should be said about the new setting in the project window - allow the VSD menu. By turning it on, we can create a nice menu; to do this, select a video fragment and click the “Properties” button
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