What Is VCD?

VCD (Video CD, Compact Disc digital video) is a standard digital format for storing video on a CD. The VCD standard was created in 1993 by Sony, Philips, Matsushita, and JVC and is referred to as the White Book standard.

Main characteristics of VCD are:
1. CD Track Type: CD-ROM Mode 2 - The data sector of 2352 bytes (98 frames with 24 bytes per frame) is divided to:
12 bytes of synchronization
4 bytes of header information
2336 bytes of user information
2. File System: ISO 9660 File System - See other sections in this book for details.
3. Audio File Format: MPEG-1 Layer 2 -
Bit Rate: 224 kbps (kilo bits per second)
Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz (kilo Hertz)
Number of Channels: 2 (stereo)

4. Video File Format: MPEG-1 -
Frame Rate: 29.97 Hz (NTSC) or 25 Hz (PAL)
Resolution: 352x240 pixel (NTSC) or 352x288 pixel (PAL)
Bit Rate: About 1.13 mbps (mega bits per second)

VCD has two flavors to match two television standards: NTSC and PAL.

NTSC (National Television System Committee) - 29.97 fps (frames per second) with 352x240 pixels per frame. NTSC is used in US and many other countries.
PAl (Phase Alternating Line) - 25 fps (frames per second) with 352x288 pixels per frame. PAL is used in China and many other countries.