If your computer does not have a drive that can record DVDs, you can probably burn your digital camera’s clips to a video compact disc, also known as a VCD.

A video compact disc is a CD that can play moving pictures and audio in the MPEG-1 format. Many (but not all) DVD players can play video compact discs. With the right software, you can also play a VCD in a computer’s CD drive.

At the most, a VCD can hold about 80 minutes of video, and the picture quality is typically not as sharp as a movie encoded for DVD; many have compared the picture to that of a movie on VHS tape. Another format, Super Video CD (SVCD), offers better picture quality but doesn’t hold as much video.

If your PC did not come with software that can convert video to MPEG-1 and create video compact discs, other commercial video-editing programs are available. Many programs for creating DVDs also give you an option to make a VCD.

There are specialized programs like VCD Easy (www.vcdeasy.org; a free trial download is available) for creating these discs. The VideoHelp site (www.videohelp.com) is one place for further reading on the topic, with information, forums and tutorials on making your own VCD and SVCD movies.