PS2 VCD?

[boatofcar]

Will a PS2 play VCDs?

[Raedon]

I think the Japan PS2 plays VCD and SVCD but it was taken out of the US Bios.

[rolenta]

Will a PS2 play VCDs?

It's funny you ask! I just received my first two VCD's from Singapore two days ago. To my dismay, the PS2 will not play them. When they are inserted, the screen goes red and it says INSERT A PLAYSTATION OR PLAYSTATION2 GAME DISC (or something to that effect).

Fortunately my Sansung combo DVD/VCR unit will play the VCDs.

[Sylentwulf]

If it had just been taken out of the BIOS you could just do a firmware update on it.

[boatofcar]

So will most standalone DVD players play VCD's?

[Raedon]

Some will some won't.. most all new DVD players will play VCD, but not many but the low end bulk import DVD players have support for SVCD and mini-DVD.. the best of these players include the Daewoo 5700 (sam's club $99.99) which can be made region and MV free. and all the Apex line of DVD players (though only a few can be made region and MacroVision free)

In the rest of the world all DVD players come with VCD and SVCD standard but in the USA lobbying from the Motion Picture Association had big companies like Sony and JVC take out these funtions in the Firmware Bios to kill any low cost bootlegging. SVCD is a format that was created to compete aginst the DVD licensing back when DVD was introduced and is of S-VHS broadcast quality. you can fit 1 hour and 10-30 minutes on a single cd-r(w) using 2 pass VBR that is very close to DVD and about 2x better then a digital TV signal. VCD is an old format from the early 90's that is about the same quality as any PS1 FMV..

[Raedon]

just a note.. no DVD players at Best Buy support SVCD no matter what they claim.