VCD - Video CD

A Video CD (VCD) is a standard for storing video on a Compact Disc. VCDs are playable in dedicated VCD players, most modern DVD-Video players, personal computers, and some video game consoles.

The Video CD standard was created in 1993 by Sony, Philips, Matsushita, and JVC and is referred to as the White Book standard.

The VCD standard uses MPEG-1 video and audio coding. An 80 (or 74) minutes CD can store roughly 80 (or 74) minutes of video as well. This was a deliberate goal in the standardization of the VCD to ensure compatibility with existing CD drive technology at that time, specifically the earliest "1 x speed" CD drives.

The specifications of the video CD are:

Video

• Codec: MPEG-1
• Resolution:
  • NTSC: 352x240
  • PAL/SECAM: 352x288
• Aspect Ratio:
  • NTSC: 107:80 (0.3% difference from 4:3)
  • PAL/SECAM: 4:3
• Framerate:
  • NTSC: 29.97 or 23.976 frames per second
  • PAL/SECAM: 25 frames per second
• Bitrate: 1,150 kilobits per second (constant bitrate)

Audio

• Codec: MPEG-1 Audio Layer II
• Frequency: 44,100 hertz (44.1 kHz)
• Output: Dual channel or stereo
• Bitrate: 224 kilobits per second (constant bitrate)