[kazamatsuri]

So I'm using a G4 MP 500 and a Sony Spressa CRX160E Firewire drive. A friend has some VCDs she wants me to copy and little did I know the trouble I was setting myself up for. I have Toast 4.1.2 (the OEM version) and while I'm able to burn basically any kind of CD with no problem, I can't copy the VCD.

I get some kind of multi-track data cd error message. What do I need to copy these? Is it possible? What software do I need?

Thanks!

--kazamatsuri

[Allah]

Perhaps you can try making a disk image of the VCD then using Toast to burn the image onto a CDR. Use Imagemaster to make the image. You can find it a www.download.com

[dymanohum]

Toast 5 titanium is the one click solution...works great!!

[penginkun]

Does Toast 5 require that the videos be in a specific format, or will any old MPEG file work? That's been my greatest annoyance with earlier versions of Toast.

If I can just download any old MPEG movie and make it into a VCD, I'll be a happy puppy. I've got LOTS of Jpop vids I'd like to do that to.

[penginkun]

OK, so I tried using Toast Titanium 5.0b3 to make a VCD. Used a CD-RW to improve my chances of getting my Panasonic DVD player to read it.

Dragged a couple of MPEGs onto it, and it told me that it couldn't use one of them to make a VCD. Well, that's OK, since this is just a test.

Proceeded to burn what I now call the VCD from H E L L.

It's only one track, about 5.5 minutes long. My DVD player, which normally only likes commercially produced VCDs, actually recognises it! Hey, that's nice! Hit play, and what do I get? Nothing. Zip, zero, nada. It sits there for a few seconds, acting like it's playing, but nothing happens on the screen.

OK, well, that's all right, I still have my iMac, and MacVCD. Stick in the disc, and it shows up happily on the desktop. Launch MacVCD, and we're still OK. Try to PLAY the thing, though, and the whole machine freezes like I'm in downtown Hell on the day the Cubs win the World Series.

One forced restart later and I decide to try QuickTime 5. QuickTime will play it, QuickTime plays all my VCDs, legit or otherwise. It freezes on the "Open File" dialogue.

Forcing the disc to eject causes the dialogue to disappear and allows me to use my iMac again. For this I am thankful, if frustrated.

Now I ask you: WHAT DID I DO WRONG?

[kazamatsuri]

I appreciate the advice. First off, what is Imagemaster? You mentioned it could be found at http://www.download.com. Well, the search there shows nothing. What's up?

Secondly, Toast 5 sounds like a nice solution. Too bad I don't have a copy of it and don't want to spend the cash to buy it just to copy some VCDs (Chinese releases of Japanese doramas) for a friend. I'd like to make this work with my current setup, or alternately, with some easily downloadable solution.

Lastly, as an aside to Penginkun, if you've got any live Shena Ringo vids, let's talk!

[dymanohum]

I installed toast 5 titanium and then used imovie to export a toast vcd image, (toast installs this option into imovie). This worked great...it did take 20 hours to encode a 1 hour video but it plays fine in the dvd player I have.

[dmcnickle]

Where are you getting Toast 5 Titanium?

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[penginkun]

Which version of iMovie did you use? I tried using iMovie 2.0.1 and it just refused to work.

Toast Titanium isn't available yet, but you can find it if you look around on Hotline.

It's improved enough that I'll pay for it when it's released, just in case Roxio/Adaptec legal is snooping around here.

[Flipper]

I also tried using Toast Titanium 5.0b3 to make a VCD without luck, don't bother, wait for the release. Went back to Toast 4.1.2.

[Flipper]

Just checked, there's a new 5.0b5 out, haven't tried it yet, but back to the original question of how to copy a VCD, for playback on a Mac, don't you just need the .DAT file, the one that QT uses to play the VCD? Anyone know how this is different from a mpg file?

[penginkun]

Do other programs like B's Recorder Gold work any better than Toast for making VCDs?

Kazamatsuri, Here's all the Shiina Ringo vids I have (all are MPEGs):

Shiina Ringo- Gibbs
Shiina Ringo- Identity
Shiina Ringo- Kabukichou no Joou
Shiina Ringo- Koko de Kiss Shite
Shiina Ringo- Koufukuron
Shiina Ringo- Rising Sun Rock Festival Part 1 (Toki ga Bousou Suru)
Shiina Ringo- Rising Sun Rock Festival Part 2 (Shido to Hakuchuumu)
Shiina Ringo- Rising Sun Rock Festival Part 3 (Keikoku)
Shiina Ringo- Rising Sun Rock Festival Part 4 (Kabukichou no Joou)
Shiina Ringo- Sweet Love Shower Part 1 (Identity)
Shiina Ringo- Sweet Love Shower Part 1 (Koufukuron)
Shiina Ringo- Sweet Love Shower Part 1 (Marunouchi Sadistic)

If you'd like to do a trade, you can email me at penginkun@mac.com.

[jcarr]

I don't think the OEM version of Toast will do a disc sector copy. For best results with non-Mac format discs (i.e. Red/Greenbook VCDs, Mac/ISO hybrid, etc), use Toast Deluxe's Disc Copy setting.

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