VCD and SVCD players

It is possible to play Video Compact Discs (VCDs) and Super VCDs (SVCDs) in Mac® OS X. This FAQ, derived from the corresponding chapter in our book, Troubleshooting Mac OS X, discusses players for these formats and provides related links to additional information.

About VCD and SVCD

VCD and SVCD are video formats that can be burned to inexpensive CD media. VCD is a relatively low-resolution format, roughly equivalent to videotape, whereas SVCD is considered to offer near-DVD quality.

The term VCD is frequently used generically to refer to both VCDs and SVCDs. The original VCD specifications — Versions 1, 1.1, and 2 — use MPEG-1 encoding. SVCDs employ MPEG-2 encoding.

Detailed information about VCD and SVCD formats can be found on the VideoHelp Web site and other sites noted in the “Related links” section of this chapter.

Creating VCDs and SVCDs with Mac OS X

You can create VCDs and SVCDs with Mac OS X using Roxio® Toast® or a plethora of open source tools. In addition to VideoHelp, two additional sites dedicated to creating SVCDs are listed in the “Related links” section of this chapter. Occasionally, popular Mac-oriented magazines will publish articles on creating VCDs and SVCDs. [1]

Using VCDs and SVCDs with home DVD players

Some home DVD players do not support SVCDs. If you have problems playing VCDs in your home DVD player, the discs may actually be SVCDs. Accordingly, if you are going to burn VCDs for yourself or a friend, its important to know precisely what VCD formats the target home DVD player supports. This information is usually found in the manual for the home DVD player.

VideoHelp also provides a searchable database of reader reports on DVD players compatible with VCD and SVCD formats.

Mac OS X support for VCD and SVCD

Support in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger

• QuickTime® supports the playback of VCDs when used under Tiger™. Instructions are found in the AppleCare® Knowledge Base document "Mac OS X 10.4 Help: Playing a Video Compact Disc (VCD)."
• Officially, QuickTime does not support SVCD playback, hence a third-party player is required. Unofficially, we read reports wherein some had claimed to play to play SCVDs in QuickTime with the QuickTime MPEG2 Playback Component under Panther. We have been unable to test this, though it would seem possible given that SVCDs are encoded in the MPEG-2 format.
• DVD Player supports neither VCD nor SVCD.

Support in Mac OS X 10.3 Panther

• QuickTime 6.4 and later support the playback of VCDs when used under Panther®. Instructions are found in the AppleCare Knowledge Base document “Mac OS X 10.3: Playing Compact Disc (VCD) media.” [2]
• Officially, QuickTime does not support SVCD playback, hence a third-party player is required. Unofficially, we have read reports wherein some had claimed to play SVCDs in QuickTime with the QuickTime MPEG2 Playback Component. We have been unable to test this, though it would seem possible given that SVCDs are encoded in the MPEG-2 format.
• DVD Player supports neither VCD nor SVCD.

Support in Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar

• To play VCDs or SVCDs under Jaguar, you must use a third-party player: neither QuickTime DVD Player support these formats. [3]

Third-party players

The following applications provide VCD and SVCD playback under Mac OS X:

• VLC Media Player is a freeware video player that can play VCDs, DVDs, and a variety media formats, such as AVI- and DivX®-encoded files. VLC is also often referred to by its name, VideoLAN Client. As of the time of this writing, SVCD support in VLC is incomplete.
• MacVCD X is a shareware VCD player for Mac OS X. You can download a free trail version which will play the first five minutes of a VCD. If MacVCD X works for you, paying the license fee provides a registration code that will unlock all of the application’s features. To play SVCDs, Mac VCD X requires the QuickTime MPEG2 Playback Component.

Related links

• Playing AVI and DivX files.
• VideoHelp is an excellent site offering a plethora of information on video formats.
• Matti Haveri’s “SVCD on a Macintosh” site offers excellent advice on creating SVCDs and related video formats, with numerous links to tools and related sites.
• “RNC’s Guide to SVCD on Mac” is another excellent site for how-to guides and tools for creating SVCDs.

Notes

[1] Two relatively recent articles on the subject of creating VCDs and SVCDs were published in the November 2002 and September 2003 issues, respectively, of MacFormat.

[2] QuickTime 6.4 is distributed with Mac OS X 10.3 Panther. At the time of this writing, QuickTime 7.0.1 was the latest version available for download from the Apple QuickTime Web Site.

[3] I have tested VCD playback under Jaguar using QuickTime 6.5: it simply would not work. The test VCD played correctly using QuickTime 6.5 under Panther.