How do I play Video CDs?

[bigboss]

I just realised last week that I can't play Video CDs anymore (Yes, I've got some of them!)!! My old DVD player could play VCDs. Don't any of the current blu-ray players play VCDs? Even my PS3 cannot.

Rather than buying a separate DVD player, I'm toying with the idea of using my laptop to play Video CDs. It's got an HDMI port. If I simply connect my laptop to my Yamaha receiver, will I then be able to watch Video CDs on my TV?

 

[John Duncan]

You can probably burn a VCD to PC and then create a DVD out of it...

 

[bigboss]

Oh....that's an idea! But wouldn't it be easier for me to simply plug my laptop to my AV receiver & play the VCDs through my laptop?

 

[John Duncan]

Possibly, though it will depend on whether your laptop outputs audio via HDMI, or whether you have to run a separate audio cable, and whether this is an ongoing thing and it becomes a faff.

 

[bigboss]

Thanks for your reply! I think my laptop will output audio via HDMI (according to the specs), but you have a point. All my HDMI ports in my Yamaha have been used up. So it will be a faff to get behind the receiver everytime I want to watch a VCD. Making DVDs of my VCDs is an option...........will the DVDs play automatically?

There is an HDMI port in the front of my KRP 500A media box..........if I use that, will it output audio?

 

[bigboss]

I've just ordered an HDMI splitter & an HDMI cable. I'll permanently keep the HDMI cable connected. All I'll need to do is connect it to my laptop when I want to watch movies. Hopefully it should work, otherwise I'll have to go for the 2nd best option.........copying onto DVDs.

 

[Anonymous]

The Oppo BDP-83 blu-ray player plays VCDs. Its expensive though, especially since you'll have to go for the Region-Free modified version for use in the UK.

 

[bigboss]

I know the Oppo plays Video CDs. But why should I spend £600 for it??? The laptop option doesn't work. I may have to buy a cheap upscaling DVD player...........or copy the VCDs onto DVDs as John Duncan has suggested (but will my player play them then?), or simply replace my existing VCDs with DVDs.

 

[Tonya]

Fear not, you are not alone, BigBoss.
I still have a big box of original films on the veritable VCD format.
A guy who works for Philips came around one day (many years ago) with a crate of stuff that they were throwing out, including a magnificent DCC beast, an ancient LaserDisc player and the VCD films with a CDi player.
VCD was very popular in places like China as the films were cheap to produce and the technology was relatively simple for mass production on a large scale.

The format is based on ageing Mpeg-1 tecnology (DVD is Mpeg-2) so the quality is sort of VHS-like, but some clever coding produced some quite good results.
I remember installing a Philips Mpeg-1 video card in my PC in the dark ages, so I could watch the films on my terminal.

I think some karaoke discs are still produced in VCD format today, so it's not completely dead just yet . . . .