Ayumi Hamasaki - Difference between VCD and DVD

Other important issues:

Everybody is well aware of the difference between DVD regions, but what is a VCD, or Video CD? This is even more questionable now, in 2013, when there are people who have never heard of the "VCD"...

The VCD contains exactly the same material, but in an inferior quality.
The main points are:
(a) The audio stream on the DVD is usually a 5.1 one (in comparison with only left and right channels on the VCD) - as described above for DVD-audio. Though this is not true for all DVDs - for example DVDs coming with first "Japan" issue of albums 'MY STORY' and '(miss)understood', and with "overseas" versions of all 2005 singles only have a simple stereo; but the concert DVDs (both 'Arena Tour' and 'a-nation' DVDs)' have a 5.1 audio stream;
(b) VCD files are encoded in MPEG-1 format, DVD ones - in MPEG-2 (technical details could be found elsewhere);
(c) The frame rate is the same for DVD and VCD formats (30 fps for NTSC and 25 fps for PAL);
(d) The frame size is different (that's from where video quality of DVD mainly comes from) - DVD one is four times larger (please see an example below).
A Video CD can be played in almost all DVD players and has no region encoding - so it does not matter where you live, you still will be able to watch it. Though I am not aware of any BluRay players that recognise VCD discs... If your computer has a DVD drive - no problems again - but what if it does not? When you insert a VCD into the normal CD drive, that's what you will see:

Open folder MPEGAV, and you will be able to see one or more files with .DAT extension:

Now you should be able to watch the video: right-click on the DAT file, pick up "Open With" option and select Windows Media player (or whatever else you are using) from the list of programs. Quicktime and Real Media players will not work, some others probably will.
--> Please note that if you are using Playstation 2 or X-box to play your DVDs, you will not be able to watch a Video CD...

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	Everybody is well aware of the difference between DVD regions, but what is a VCD, or Video CD? This is even more questionable now, in 2013, when there are people who have never heard of the "VCD"...
	The VCD contains exactly the same material, but in an inferior quality. The main points are: (a) The audio stream on the DVD is usually a 5.1 one (in comparison with only left and right channels on the VCD) - as described above for DVD-audio. Though this is not true for all DVDs - for example DVDs coming with first "Japan" issue of albums 'MY STORY' and '(miss)understood', and with "overseas" versions of all 2005 singles only have a simple stereo; but the concert DVDs (both 'Arena Tour' and 'a-nation' DVDs)' have a 5.1 audio stream; (b) VCD files are encoded in MPEG-1 format, DVD ones - in MPEG-2 (technical details could be found elsewhere); (c) The frame rate is the same for DVD and VCD formats (30 fps for NTSC and 25 fps for PAL); (d) The frame size is different (that's from where video quality of DVD mainly comes from) - DVD one is four times larger (please see an example below). A Video CD can be played in almost all DVD players and has no region encoding - so it does not matter where you live, you still will be able to watch it. Though I am not aware of any BluRay players that recognise VCD discs... If your computer has a DVD drive - no problems again - but what if it does not? When you insert a VCD into the normal CD drive, that's what you will see: Open folder MPEGAV, and you will be able to see one or more files with .DAT extension:
	Now you should be able to watch the video: right-click on the DAT file, pick up "Open With" option and select Windows Media player (or whatever else you are using) from the list of programs. Quicktime and Real Media players will not work, some others probably will. --> Please note that if you are using Playstation 2 or X-box to play your DVDs, you will not be able to watch a Video CD...