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No. Although both formats store compressed audio and video on optical media, they are not the same. DVDs have much higher capacities and are read at much higher data rates, so they produce higher quality video than VCDs. However, VCDs can reproduce nearly VHS-quality video and CD-quality audio. If your video is on VHS tape now, in many cases it will look as good on VCD as it would if transferred to DVD. [Top]
2. Would my home video look better on a DVD? It depends. If you start with VHS video, it won't look any better on DVD than it did on the VHS tape. DVDs look as good as they do primarily because they start with extremely high quality professional-format video, not just because of the way they're stored. But if you have S-VHS, 8mm, Hi-8, Digital-8 or Mini-DV video (or a professional digital tape format) it would look better on DVD because it contains more detail than a VHS tape is physically capable of holding. [Top]
3. Why should I transfer my videos to VCD instead of DVD? VCDs can hold 66% as much video as a DVD (up to 80 minutes vs. about 2 hours), but cost less than a DVD. VHS-quality video will look nearly as good on a VCD as it will on a DVD. VCDs can be played in many DVD players and virtually all home computers using readily available software. Best of all, once your video has been transferred to VCD, anyone with a CD-RW drive in their computer can make loss-free copies for no more than the price of good CD-R media. [Top]
Many newer DVD players can play VCDs on CD-R media; most Pioneer and Ampex DVD players, in particular, can play them. Almost any PC or MacIntosh with a CD drive can play them using free software (Microsoft MediaPlayer or MacIntosh Quickime player). Add-on adapters for Sony Playstation, Sega Saturn, and Nintendo 64 allow these machines to play VCDs (and DVDs) as well. [Top]
5. Can all DVD players play VCDs? No. To be sure if a particular DVD player will play VCDs on CD-R, you should check its manual or contact the manufacturer. VCDHelp has a great table on its website that records visitors' comments about how well various makes & models of DVD players play VCDs. [Top]
6. Where can I have my videos transferred to VCD? There are a number of companies that offer VCD transfer services. Most of them offer relatively low-quality 'real-time' transfers and a limited set of available services. But some offer an expansive array of features that rival those of a DVD. See VCD Features for a good list of things to look for. [Top]
7. What should I look for when selecting a company to transfer my video to VCD? Clearly, you should select a company that offers the features you're interested in; depending on what you want, this may narrow down the field significantly. Beyond that, you should look for a company that:
You may also want to look for a company that specializes in VCD transfers. It's reasonable to assume that a company is likely to do its best work on its main line of business. See Comparing VCD Conversions for an in-depth discussion of the differences between VCD transfer companies. Click here for links to VCD conversion companies. [Top]
Yes. In many countries VCDs are used the way VHS tapes are in the US. The same movies released on video tape and DVD here are available on VCD in other parts of the world. For a list of online VCD movie retailers, click here. [Top]
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