Originally posted by UshgarakVideo CD's and Super Video CD's can be played on most half decent DVD players. Just look for the symbol on the front of the DVD player when you buy it.
Not on a monitor it isn't. VCD doesn't do it for me.
The format is a common, and LEGITAMATELY LEGAL, one throughout the eastern world, as I understand it. It is also becoming popular in the US and UK as well.
I also believe that Captain was correct on the legality of the OT on VCD as well. Lucasfilms released the Special Editions of the Original Trilogy on VCD in 1997.
Below are links to several sites that sell these VCDs.
http://www.movieparlour.com/vcd-display-movie-info.asp?id=20001018122727
http://www.videocds.com/action/star_wars_trilogy.htm
http://www.1vcd.com/ViewDetail.asp?VcdID=S10102
Perhaps you might want to re-examine your views gentlemen...
*starts jumping*
He called me gentleman!
Sorry, Ratcat, but I find it strange that in 1997 we were flooded with adds when the SE came, but I haven't heared about a VCD till my father bought it this year...
and why can you only buy it in countries in the East and online?
(hmmm, I'll see what the official site has to say)
My only comment on the legality is still that you cannot sidestep copyright laws by importing from countries with no copyright. And there is no way around that.
If they HAVE been released in the western world in VCD (which judging by those links that RC has provided they HAVE been, though they must have kept damn quiet about it... still, if I was wrong, I spologise) I am completely at a loss to work out why people were talking about importing them. That seems to invalidate the whole argument.
Meanwhile, I still don't like VCD format, even on a DVD player. A decent video and VCR is still better. CD's just don't hold enough data.
Yersott, why not just check out THIS LINK to TFN and see what the first and second prizes are in their 2001 Fanart competition...
As far as the quality issue goes, VCD uses the same number of scan lines as VHS. You will find that the quality between a VCD and a VHS is exactly the same. A standard 80minute CD can hold 800Mb of VCD data (Records at Mode 2, not Mode 1) which is ample.
A typical DVD movie comes in at about 1.4Gb.