Super Video CD

Last updated
Compact Disc Super Video (SVCD)
SVCD logo.svg
Super Video CD logo.svg
Compact Disc.png
Media type Optical disc
Encoding MPEG-2 video + audio
CapacityUp to 800 MB
Read mechanism780 nm wavelength semiconductor laser
Standard IEC 62107
Developed by Philips, Sony, Panasonic, JVC
Usageaudio and video storage
Extended from Video CD
Extended to DVD
Released1998

Super Video CD (Super Video Compact Disc or SVCD) is a digital format for storing video on standard compact discs. SVCD was intended as a successor to Video CD and an alternative to DVD-Video, and falls somewhere between both in terms of technical capability and picture quality.

Contents

Technical specifications

Structure

Similar to VCDs, SVCDs comply with the CD-i Bridge format, and are authored (or "burned") using the CD-ROM XA format. The first track is in CD-ROM XA Mode 2, Form 1, and contains metadata about the disc. The other tracks are in Mode 2, Form 2, and contain audio and video multiplexed in a MPEG program stream (MPEG-PS) container. This allows roughly 800 megabytes of data to be stored on one 80 minute CD (versus 700 megabytes when using Mode 1). One CD can hold up to 35 minutes of full quality SVCD-format video and audio.

Video

Because of its 480x480 resolution, SVCD picture quality is more than double that of VCD. On the downside, this increase in picture resolution sacrifices video length capacity by over 50%. Because of this, titles released on SVCD had to come on twice the number of discs. [1]

Unlike other CD-based formats, such as China Video Disc and Video CD, Super Video CD video is incompatible with both the DVD-Video and Blu-ray standards due to a conflict in resolution. However, many DVD and Blu-ray players will play back SVCD resolution video from a DVD or Blu-ray disc anyway.

Interlaced video is supported for SVCD video. 23.976 frames per second video is supported by use of interlacing and 3:2 pulldown.

The combined audio and video bit rates should not exceed 2.7 Mbps. This data rate was chosen, in part, to ensure compatibility with slower and less expensive "2 × speed" CD drives.

Audio

As with most compact disc-based video formats, SVCD audio is incompatible with the DVD-Video standard due to the difference in frequency; DVDs require 48 kHz, whereas SVCDs use 44.1 kHz.

SVCDs may have two separate stereo, or four mono audio tracks (for commentary or additional languages).

Audio may have up to 6 channels (in a 5.1 arrangement) using the MPEG Multichannel surround sound format, although space constraints and inconsistent hardware support make it impractical, and very uncommon.

Variable bit rate encoding, while not supported by the MPEG-1 Audio Layer II standard, is part of the SVCD specification. However, variable bit rate audio is not consistently supported by standalone players, and thus the format is rarely used.

Additional features

The SVCD standard supports several other features, including interactive menus, hyperlinks, karaoke lyric highlighting, four selectable overlay graphic subtitle streams, chapters, playlists, and DVD-quality still images/slide shows, along with audio, with a resolution of 704x480 (480i, analog NTSC compatible) or 704x576 (576i, analog PAL/SECAM compatible). [2] [3]

Playback issues

Play back of SVCD titles is impaired when played on most DVD players, causing dropped frames, choppy video playback or skipping of sound. This is due to the chosen two-thirds video ratio in the SVCD format specifications, which doesn't align well with the other more common video formats VCD and DVD. Most DVD players support the video formats VCD, SVCD and DVD (with horizontal resolutions of 352, 480 and 720 pixels respectively) but the best resolution usually dictates the design of all the electronics components, most notably the low pass filter. With only one analog low pass filter optimised for one video format (usually DVD 720), the other two video format will suffer from aliasing. The SVCD format is especially prone to "foldover" because the 480p format doesn't fit well over a 720p output. The aliasing artifacts that result from this bad fit are usually buried in noise from other sources, such as camera, quantization, and MPEG artifacts.

Similar formats

CVD

China Video Disc (CVD) is a CD-based video format which was created during the development of the SVCD standard and is almost identical to SVCD. The primary technical difference is a lower (horizontal) video resolution of 352×480 (NTSC) or 352×576 (PAL/SECAM). [4] Because 352×480/576 is a recognized DVD resolution, CVD video (but not audio) is fully compatible with the DVD-Video standard, and avoids the "foldover" (or aliasing) problems encountered when playing SVCDs on DVD players. The lower resolution also allows the bitrate to be reduced while keeping compression artifacts to a minimum. [5] CVD also supports all of the additional features (selectable subtitles, multiple audio tracks, and so on) which are supported by SVCD.

XSVCD

XSVCD (eXtended Super VCD) is the name generally given to any format that stores MPEG-2 video on a compact disc in mode 2/XA, at SVCD resolution, but does not strictly meet the SVCD standard.

To reduce the data rate without significantly reducing quality, the size of the GOP can be increased, the maximum data rate can be exceeded, and a different MPEG-2 quantization matrix can be used. These changes can be advantageous for those who want to either maximize video quality, or use fewer discs.

RSVCD

RSVCD (RoBa SVCD) uses the Robshot-Bach (RoBa) method for encoding MPEG-2 video using CCE [6] in creating SVCD-compliant discs. RSVCD was popularized on the Doom9 forum.

MVCD

MVCD (Mole VCD) is a XSVCD variant that can be created using the MVCD templates included with TMPGEnc. MVCD can encode either MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 video to VCD, SVCD, or DVD standard resolution. Many players accept MVCD encoded discs. [7]

History of development

Super Video CD was developed as part of a late 1990s Chinese government-sponsored effort to create a next-generation CD-based video standard. The primary motivating factor was the need for an alternative to the DVD format that would not be restricted by technology royalties. The Chinese government was concerned that the DVD format was too tightly controlled by foreign companies, and that a significant opportunity existed for the development of a domestic format that could deliver comparable quality without the restrictions of DVD. It was also hoped that SVCD's development would help to drive down the cost of consumer DVD players and DVD licensing fees in China. Three independent efforts attempted to solve these problems: CVD, SVCD, and HQ-VCD.

China Video Disc (CVD), developed by C-Cube Microsystems (a major producer of chips for Video CD players), was the earliest entry, having completed its specification in 1997, before the other two had even reached a draft stage. Super Video CD (SVCD) was second, being developed by the government-backed China Recording Standards Committee, under direction from the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry, with technical support from ESS Technology. High-Quality Video CD (HQ-VCD), developed by the Video CD Consortium (consisting of Philips, Sony, Matsushita and JVC creators of the original Video CD specification) was a relatively late entry.

The Chinese Ministry of Information and the Video CD Consortium agreed to join forces, incorporating the features of HQ-VCD under a unified SVCD format. But by the time the SVCD specification was ready in July 1998, CVD had already been adopted by major manufacturers and had quickly established a significant installed base of about 600,000 players. This prompted the Chinese government to force a compromise between the competing standards in order to maintain compatibility. [8]

The SVCD and CVD standards were combined into one composite standard known as Chaoji Video CD ("Chaoji" in Pinyin or 超级 in written Chinese, meaning "super") in November 1998, which was adopted by the Chinese government as the "official" next-generation video disc standard. Chaoji VCD is effectively synonymous with Super VCD. A Super VCD player must be able to play a variety of formats, including SVCD, CVD, VCD 2.0, VCD 1.1 and CD audio discs.

On July 15, 2000, the IEC certified SVCD an international standard CD format, as IEC 62107. [9]

Philips added an SVCD logo to its canon of official Compact Disc logos. SVCD titles were available commercially in China, Hong Kong, and several other Asian countries (except the Philippines).[ citation needed ] In the Western world, the format is more commonly used to store home videos or movies copied from DVD and Laserdisc.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compact disc</span> Digital optical disc data storage format

The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. It uses the Compact Disc Digital Audio format which typically provides 74 minutes of audio on a disc. In later years, the compact disc was adapted for non-audio computer data storage purposes as CD-ROM and its derivatives. First released in Japan in October 1982, the CD was the second optical disc technology to be invented, after the much larger LaserDisc (LD). By 2007, 200 billion CDs had been sold worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MPEG-2</span> Video encoding standard

MPEG-2 is a standard for "the generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information". It describes a combination of lossy video compression and lossy audio data compression methods, which permit storage and transmission of movies using currently available storage media and transmission bandwidth. While MPEG-2 is not as efficient as newer standards such as H.264/AVC and H.265/HEVC, backwards compatibility with existing hardware and software means it is still widely used, for example in over-the-air digital television broadcasting and in the DVD-Video standard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PAL</span> Colour encoding system for analogue television

Phase Alternating Line (PAL) is a colour encoding system for analog television. It was one of three major analogue colour television standards, the others being NTSC and SECAM. In most countries it was broadcast at 625 lines, 50 fields per second, and associated with CCIR analogue broadcast television systems B, D, G, H, I or K. The articles on analog broadcast television systems further describe frame rates, image resolution, and audio modulation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Video</span> Electronic moving image

Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) systems, which, in turn, were replaced by flat-panel displays of several types.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Video CD</span> CD-based format meant for digital video distribution

Video CD is a home video format and the first format for distributing films on standard 120 mm (4.7 in) optical discs. The format was widely adopted in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Greater China, Central Asia and West Asia, superseding the VHS and Betamax systems in the regions until DVD-Video finally became affordable in the first decade of the 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VHS</span> Consumer-level analog videotape recording and cassette form standard

The VHS is a standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, invented in 1976 by the Victor Company of Japan (JVC). It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period in the 1980s and 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Audio CD</span> Read-only optical disc for high-fidelity audio storage

Super Audio CD (SACD) is an optical disc format for audio storage introduced in 1999. It was developed jointly by Sony and Philips Electronics and intended to be the successor to the compact disc (CD) format.

MPEG-1 Audio Layer II or MPEG-2 Audio Layer II is a lossy audio compression format defined by ISO/IEC 11172-3 alongside MPEG-1 Audio Layer I and MPEG-1 Audio Layer III (MP3). While MP3 is much more popular for PC and Internet applications, MP2 remains a dominant standard for audio broadcasting.

A DVD player is a device that plays DVDs produced under both the DVD-Video and DVD-Audio technical standards, two different and incompatible standards. Some DVD players will also play audio CDs. DVD players are connected to a television to watch the DVD content, which could be a movie, a recorded TV show, or other content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DVD-Audio</span> DVD format for storing high-fidelity audio

DVD-Audio is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio uses most of the storage on the disc for high-quality audio and is not intended to be a video delivery format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LaserDisc</span> Optical analog video disc format

The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in the United States in 1978. Its diameter typically spans 30 cm (12 in). Unlike most optical-disc standards, LaserDisc is not fully digital, and instead requires the use of analog video signals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enhanced Versatile Disc</span> Chinese optical disc format intended to replace DVD

The Enhanced Versatile Disc (EVD) is an optical-medium-based digital audio/video format, developed by Beijing E-World, as a rival to the DVD to avoid the high royalty costs associated with the DVD format. Its development was supported by the Chinese government. While it was intended to replace the DVD standard in China by 2008, the format had failed to gain traction and ultimately faded into obsolescence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Book (CD standard)</span> CD standard for storing still pictures and motion video

The White Book refers to a standard of compact disc that stores not only sound but also still pictures and motion video. It was released in 1993 by Sony, Philips, Matsushita, and JVC. These discs, most commonly found in Asia, are usually called "Video CDs" (VCD). In some ways, VCD can be thought of as the successor to the Laserdisc and the predecessor to DVD. Note that Video CD should not be confused with CD Video which was an earlier and entirely different format.

A DVD recorder is an optical disc recorder that uses optical disc recording technologies to digitally record analog or digital signals onto blank writable DVD media. Such devices are available as either installable drives for computers or as standalone components for use in television studios or home theater systems.

cDVD discs, also known as mini-DVD discs, are regular data CDs that contain MPEG-2 or MPEG-1 video structured in accordance with the DVD-Video specifications.

MPEG Multichannel, also known as MPEG-2 Backwards Compatible, or MPEG-2 BC, is an extension to the MPEG-1 Layer II audio compression specification, as defined in the MPEG-2 Audio standard which allows it provide up to 5.1-channels of audio. To maintain backwards compatibility with the older 2-channel (stereo) audio specification, it uses a channel matrixing scheme, where the additional channels are mixed into the two backwards compatible channels. Extra information in the data stream contains signals to process extra channels from the matrix.

MUSE, commercially known as Hi-Vision was a Japanese analog high-definition television system, with design efforts going back to 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DVD-Video</span> Format used to store digital video on DVD discs

DVD-Video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVDs. DVD-Video was the dominant consumer home video format in Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia in the 2000s until it was supplanted by the high-definition Blu-ray Disc, before eventually both were replaced by streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+. Discs using the DVD-Video specification require a DVD drive and an MPEG-2 decoder. Commercial DVD movies are encoded using a combination of MPEG-2 compressed video and audio of varying formats. Typically, the data rate for DVD movies ranges from 3 to 9.5 Mbit/s, and the bit rate is usually adaptive. DVD-Video was first available in Japan on November 1, 1996, followed by a release on March 26, 1997 in the United States—to line up with the 69th Academy Awards that same day.

In digital audio, 44,100 Hz is a common sampling frequency. Analog audio is often recorded by sampling it 44,100 times per second, and then these samples are used to reconstruct the audio signal when playing it back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeVeDe</span>

DeVeDe is a free and open-source DVD and CD authoring utility. DeVeDe produces disk images ready for authoring to CD or DVD, and allows to burn them to CD/DVD discs. The source material may be in any of a number of audio and video formats, and DeVeDe automatically converts the material to formats compatible with audio CD and video DVD standards, as used by CD and DVD player devices. DeVeDe uses other software packages, including MPlayer, MEncoder/FFmpeg, DVDAuthor, VCDImager and mkisofs, to perform the format conversions, and can use K3b or Brasero to burn an ISO image on Ubuntu, or a variety of other software on Windows.

References

  1. "Understanding Video DVD formats and VCD and SVCD". DeskShare Incorporated. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
  2. Glossary, SVCD, allformp3.com, archived from the original on 2008-03-19, retrieved 2008-03-20
  3. Leon (March 21, 2001), Making Super Video CD (SVCD), labdv.com, archived from the original on March 8, 2008, retrieved March 20, 2008
  4. Glossary, CVD, allformp3.com, archived from the original on 2008-03-19, retrieved 2008-03-20
  5. What is SVCD?, videohelp.com , retrieved 2008-03-20
  6. The RoBa method for CCE encoding, doom9.com, August 9, 2005, archived from the original on February 23, 2008, retrieved February 22, 2008
  7. MoleVCD 2003, March 18, 2005, archived from the original on November 5, 2003, retrieved February 22, 2008
  8. Aho, Jukka (May 31, 2001), Super Video CD Overview, archived from the original on 2012-09-14, retrieved 2008-03-20
  9. Super video compact disc - Disc-interchange system-specification, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), July 15, 2000, retrieved 2008-03-20