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Avanti wrote on 5/1/2005, 1:52 PM
This is how, enjoy.

HOW TO: Autoplay Video CD (VCD) in WindowsHOW TO: Autoplay Video CD (VCD) in
Windows
Copyright 2002 The Navas GroupSM, All Rights Reserved.
Permission is granted to copy for private non-commercial use only.
Posted as <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/tech/autoplay_vcd.htm>. Updated:
Monday, April 21, 2003.
GENERAL NOTES:
This information was compiled by the author and is provided as a public
service. The author is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for any
consequential problems that might result. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Email comments and suggestions to mailto:jnrelay1@sonic.net?Subject=Autoplay



Introduction
A pure Video CD (VCD) will not Autoplay (automatically play the video on an
inserted disc) in Microsoft Windows without some sort of "helper" application.
Although there are several ways to create a Video CD that will Autoplay without
a "helper" application, the following procedure, based on Windows Media Player,
is arguably the simplest, easiest, and cleanest.
Requirements (player computer):
Windows Media Player (6.4 or above; 7 or above recommended).
Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP (or later), or earlier versions of
Windows with Internet Explorer 5 (or above).
Method
Use an .ASX Windows Media Metafile (named VCD.ASX in this document, but any
valid filename could be used) to control Windows Media Player.
Use an AUTORUN.INF file to automatically launch the .ASX Windows Media
Metafile.
Both of these two files must be placed in the root directory of the Video CD, as
described below. They should not interfere with playing the Video CD on a Video
CD or DVD player.
AUTORUN.INF
The contents of the AUTORUN.INF text file are always (assuming the .ASX file is
named VCD.ASX):
Method 1Comments
[autorun]
ShellExecute=VCD.ASXThe 2nd line (ShellExecute) uses the registered .ASX
file association to process the .ASX Windows Media Metafile. The
registered application is usually (but not necessarily) the current
version of Windows Media Player; if so, playback begins in a default
window. Method 1 is preferred unless you want playback to begin full
screen, in which case use Method 2.
Method 2Comments
[autorun]
ShellExecute=mplayer2 /fullscreen VCD.ASXMethod 2 is used to begin
playback full screen. It should explicitly invoke the older version (6.4)
of Windows Media Player, which (unlike the latest version) supports the
"/fullscreen" parameter. The older version apparently remains installed
even when the newer version is installed (on Windows XP at least).

.ASX file
The .ASX file contains text commands that allow you to control Windows Media
Player. Simple examples:
Play single video clipComments
<ASX Version = "3.0">
<Title>Name of my Video CD</Title>

<Entry>
<Title>My Video Clip #1</Title>
<Ref href = "MPEGAV\AVSEQ01.DAT" />
</Entry>

</ASX>The first Title line (with "Name of my Video CD" as an example) is
optional; if present, Windows Media Player will display your framed text
as a title for the entire Video CD.
The lines from <Entry> to </Entry> play a single clip; repeat those
lines if there are additional clips to be played, as in the 2nd example.

The Title line in a given Entry ("My Video Clip #1" and "My Video Clip
#2" in the examples) is also optional; if present, Windows Media Player
will display your framed text as a title for the clip.
The Ref line tells Windows Media Player where to find the clip. When a
Video CD is created, your clip(s) will placed in the "MPEGAV" root
folder (directory) on the CD. The particular clip names depend on the CD
authoring software you use; the example above is for ahead Nero Burning
ROM (highly recommended for Video as well as other types of CDs and now
DVDs). The file extension is usually .DAT, rather than (say) .MPG, but
Windows Media Player will still recognize the format and play the file
(if the correct codec is installed).
For complete documentation on Windows Media Metafiles, see the Windows
Media Player SDK.

Play two video clips
<ASX Version = "3.0">
<Title>Name of my Video CD</Title>

<Entry>
<Title>My Video Clip #1</Title>
<Ref href = "MPEGAV\AVSEQ01.DAT" />
</Entry>

<Entry>
<Title>My Video Clip #2</Title>
<Ref href = "MPEGAV\AVSEQ02.DAT" />
</Entry>

</ASX>

Creating the Video CD
Getting the .ASX Windows Media Metafile and the AUTORUN.INF file into the root
directory of a Video CD can be easy or hard depending on the CD authoring
software you use. In Nero Burning ROM (version 5) it's easy: after a Video CD
compilation (layout) has been created, use the clip names in the "MPEGAV" folder
(directory) to create the .ASX file, drag and drop the .ASX and AUTORUN.INF
files into the upper right pane of the compilation window (set to "\" root), and
then burn.


Related Links
Video CD FAQ (Russil Wvong)
Frequently Asked Questions About VideoCD (CD Page)
VCDHelp.com (VideoCD, SuperVCD and DVD Recordable Help)
CD-Recordable FAQ (Andy McFadden)
USENET discussion newsgroups:
alt.comp.periphs.cdr
alt.video.dvd
comp.publish.cdrom.hardware
comp.publish.cdrom.software
comp.publish.cdrom.multimedia
rec.video.desktop


magicmermaid66 wrote on 5/1/2005, 2:08 PM
Wow, that's a lot.
Thank you very much AVANTI for your quick reply.
I will give it a go.
I am assuming these instructions also apply to my AVI file
as I am not using mpeg.
Thanks again,
Blessings
M
pjrey wrote on 5/1/2005, 2:19 PM
if you have NERO, use that, it will create it all automatically... right?
use the VCD templete.. or SVCD

pj
magicmermaid66 wrote on 5/3/2005, 2:13 PM
Hi PJrey,
I purchased Ahead Nero and have successfully implemented your instructions... however, when I tested my finished product on
another computer... windows media player would not play the vcd
because it said it was an unsupported format. So I found out
that Nero made my AVI file into an mpeg 4 which Windows media
player does not fully support. I need it to be an mpeg1 but I
didn't see any option to change it in NERO. I need this
VCD to play on any computer without them have to download
anything. I have been in tears over this thing as my partners
are waiting for the finished product. PLEASE is there
any help you can give me?
Thanks
M
BillyBoy wrote on 5/3/2005, 2:51 PM
You can make Mpeg-1 as VCD's or "SVCD" with Nero.

For more detailed help visit VCDHelp which has many tutorials.

Do you have version 6 Ultra or something else?

Nero is a fairly complex program. It operates in two modes. The Express mode is easier to use until you learn your way around.

From Windows desktop Click Start, all programs, find the Nero Folder, then under Nero 6 Ultra edition click on Nero Express. Now you should see several options asking what kind of CD yo want to make. Under Video Pictures select either Video Cd or Super Video CD. Then just follow the prompts.
John_Cline wrote on 5/3/2005, 2:56 PM
VCD uses MPG1 video compression and virtually every computer can read MPG1 files. SVCD uses MPEG2 compression and unless the user has specifically installed a player capable of decoding MPEG2, they're out of luck as MPEG2 decoders are not a standard part of any operating system.

John