SVCD stands for Super Video CD (called also SuperVCD or Chaoji
VCD). It is a CD standard developed in 1998 by Chinese consumer electronics
manufacturers, the Chinese government and the VCD consortium (Sony,
Philips, Matsushita and JVC).
SVCD stats:
Resolution : PAL - 480x576 ; NTSC - 480x480
(compate to AVI and VCD at 352x240; XVCD {2500kbit/s}
is 720x480, XSVCD {2720kbit/s}
is 720x480 max @ 29.97fps)
Bitrate : 650 MB stores up to 94 minutes
Quality : VIDEO - Similar to SVHS ; AUDIO - CD quality (44kHz, stereo)
Encoding time : Encoding 50 minutes of video takes 3+ hours on a PIII-650
SVCD= MPEG-2
VCD= MPEG-1
DivX ;-) or DivX4 = AVI = MPEG-4 (MPEG-4 is a good choice for copying
DVDs to your computer. You can keep a copy of the DVD for viewing
on the PC, or record it to CD-ROM. Note that this format can not
be played in DVD players; only computers. DivX is based on Microsoft's
version of MPEG-4.)
Note: DivX is a codec. MPEG-2 is a codec. |
SVCD is a successor for extremely popular video
format called VideoCD (VCD) which was based on MPEG-1 video encoding.
SVCD itself contains MPEG-2 video stream and MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 audio
stream (MPEG-1 stereo audio layer II, MPEG-2 stereo audio layer II or
MPEG-2 Multi-Channel 5.1 surround audio).
It's video bitrate is normally higher than VideoCD's -- clear difference
to VideoCD is the fact that SVCD doesn't specify a certain bitrate for
video. Unspecified video bitrate also causes a situation where one SVCD
disc can contain various amount of video -- normally one SVCD disc contains
35-40 minutes of video, but by reducing the bitrate, one CD can hold
up to 74 minutes of video (which is the same amount that a VCD disc
contains).
SVCD can also contain multiple audio streams (just like a DVD-Video
can), subtitles, still images, multi-level hierarchical menus, chapters
(for indexing), hyperlinks and playlists.
Just like VCDs (and audio CDs), SVCDs require a specific way how they
are burned on the CD -- just sticking all the required files into CD
structure doesn't make disc a SVCD compatible. Most of the new CD burning
applications support SVCD already, so authoring your own SVCDs should
be relatively easy.
SVCD's resolution is 2x higher than VCD's; in PAL (European TV standard)
the resolution is 480x576 and in NTSC (American TV standard) it is 480x480.
Framerates are 25fps and 29.97fps, just like in any other video format.
SVCD's quality is somewhere between VideoCD and DVD-Video. Most of the
DVD players can play SVCD discs which makes is perfect format for backing
up your DVD movies and a very good alternative for DivX ;-) format.
SVCD has also gained popularity among movie studios -- in Far East distribution,
of course -- and most of the studios already release their movies in
SVCD format in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc..
What are XVCD / XSVCD?
A: They are unoffical formats eXtended VCD and eXtended SVCD, some DVD
players allow you to use the power of the built in DVD decoder chip
to play higher resolution and bit rate video than standard VCD / SVCD.
See VCD Help - Player
Compatibility for more details on what DVD players will play what.
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Will my DVD player / PC play XVCD / XSVCD?
A: See VCD Help - Player
Compatibility for DVD player compatibility.
As for PCs; you should have no problems playing XVCD. You will need
to point to the .dat file unless you have a PC VCD player installed;
you may need a DVD player installed to play XSVCD as they are encoded
in MPEG 2 (the same as DVD).
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Why do DVD players not state they play XVCD / XSVCD?
A: They are not official formats.
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Why does my player play SVCD but not show SVCD as
a supported format when SVCD is an offical format?
A: SVCD was developed for use in China around the time of DVD introduction,
China is they only place you will find original SVCD discs therefore
manufacturers rarely state SVCD compatibility for players marketed outside
this region, some even disable SVCD playback outside the region.
| |
SVCD |
xSVCD |
|
Mpeg Standard |
Mpeg 2 |
Mpeg 2 |
|
Video Bitrate |
2600 kbit/sec |
Bitrates
and frame sizes are not fixed, but dependant on the desired playback
machine. Some DVD players will play xSVCD to varying standards. |
|
Audio Bitrate |
32-384 kbit/sec |
32-384 kbit/sec |
|
Total Bitrate (max) |
2748 kbit/sec (max) |
Bitrates
and frame sizes are not fixed, but dependant on the desired playback
machine. Some DVD players will play xSVCD to varying standards |
|
Audio Sampling Freq. |
44.1 kHz |
44.1 kHz |
|
Video Frame Size PAL |
480x576 @ 25 fps |
720x576 max @ 25fps (max) |
|
Video Frame Size NTSC |
480x480 @ 29.97 fps |
720x480 max @ 29.97fps (max) |
|
Format Extras |
Menus, Chapters, Still Pictures |
Menus, Chapters, Still Pictures,
Subtitles, Multiple Audio Tracks |
