setting up cd to autoplay or open in right program

jillc · Post by **jillc** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 1:42 am

I have a 5 minute clip which I saved in a SVCD format and created a disk complete with menu. This works fine on some PCs (eg HP system) but doesn't seem to work in ordinary PC and won't play at all in a car CD player. This clip includes a song - this is what it's all about. Most of the time, it just won't run at all.

So I re-saved the project and created a VCD version - this will play in Windows Media Player but only after starting up the program and telling it to play the unknown disk. ???

When putting the CD into the CD drive, it won't come up with the normal little window which asks you to click on the program to play or open the files or whatever. Instead it opens up the folder on the disk and displays a list of the folders contained there. Which is not much help because it's impossible for the average bunny to know what to do next.

The DVD version of the clip seems to work fine for those people with a DVD player or a DVD drive on their PCs. So what have I done wrong? Can you help me please. VideoStudio 11 Plus.

Post by **Ron P.** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 11:29 am

Welcome to the forums,

First SVCD is a video CD, not audio, so unless you have a Video CD player in your car, it will not play. The reason is, the folder structure burned, and the file types. Audio CDs use the file format called CDA. Those are readable by car CD systems. VCDs and SVCDs use a different format and structure, and can be correctly read in video cd drives, which are found on PCs. Most DVD players (stand-alone) can, or at least used to be able to play SVCDs. So a portable DVD player may be able to play them.

Creating an Auto-Run CD is slightly more complex. I done a Google search and found several sites that provide instructions. Here's the top one:
How To Create a CD that will auto-run

You can also just burn the video file to a CD, using WMV format. However depending on what program the user has set to auto-play WMV file formats, will open the file. Most current PCs default to WMP to auto-play their WMV format. Burning the Video file is just like creating a back-up for that file.

DVDDoug · Post by **DVDDoug** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 10:26 pm

Yeah... There are many different audio/video formats and many variations of each one... The situation is a royal mess! But, for "shiny discs", there are only 3 "universal commercial standards". Audio-CD, Video-DVD, and Blu-Ray. (SACD and Audio-DVD, are available commercially, but discs and players for these formats are rare.)

I've never made a VCD or SVCD, so I can't help you with that.

...and won't play at all in a car CD player. This clip includes a song - this is what it's all about.

If you want to make an audio CD from this file, open the file in Video Studio, and then go to Share and create an audio file (or files) in WAV format (choose 44.1kHz, 16-bit stereo). Then, use your CD burning software and tell it to make an audio-CD.

Depending on your CD burning software, you may be able to "split" one big WAV file into tracks (per a cue sheet) or you may need to make separate WAV files for each track.

Audio CDs do not contain WAV files, but the underlying data structure is the same (uncompressed PCM).

Additional Notes ----
There are very rigid requirements for audio CDs, Video DVDs and Blu-Ray, so for example, you can't simply burn an MP3 or AAC file onto a CD and expect it to play in your car. Now, some CD players & DVD players can play MP3s, but it's an extra feature. These tight standards assure you that when you buy a CD, DVD, or Blu-Ray, you can take it home and play it.

You can play almost any audio or audio/video format on a computer (if it's on a disc, you need a drive that can read the disc-type), but sometimes it requires special software or a special CODEC

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 12:54 am

If you want to create a CD that plays in your car then use Windows Media Player. VideoStudio creates Videos!

jillc · Post by **jillc** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 3:42 am

Vidoman: Thanks for that link but when VideoStudio creates the disk it gets locked. I can't see how to add anything to it. Or am I missing something?
DVDDoug: I will try your suggestions for making an audio CD.
sjj1805: Yes, it's obvious once you say it. Sorry for my blonde moment!
All: You haven't really helped me solve my biggest problem.
When I insert the CD in the computer drive I get a screen like this:

When I want it to be something like this:

I can't figure why VideoStudio doesn't create this in its process.

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 6:23 am

Screen 1 shows the typical content of a VCD / SVCD disc.
These are the fore runners of the modern day "DVD". When CD discs first came out they could contain a whopping 650-700 Megabytes of computer DATA. The boffin's discovered ways to place around about a hours worth of video onto one of these discs using VCD or SVCD. It was quite clever at the time and produces a quality very much like a VHS tape.

Many standalone DVD players can play these VCD / SVCD discs.

Later as technology improved the DVD disc came along which holds 4.3 Gigabytes of data - this is 6 times the size of a CD. With this vast increase in space the boffin's came up with better formats for placing video onto these larger discs - what you popularly term a "DVD" that you buy at the shop or rent out from the video shop.

Today the DVD disc has been surpassed by Blue Ray discs which hold 25 Gigabytes of DATA. All these discs - CD / DVD / Blue Ray look the same size and shape. The player in your car is a CD player, it cannot play DVD discs and it cannot play Blue Ray discs.

Regarding your second screen shot - if the auto play screen does not appear when you insert the disc it is probably because the computer does not recognise what the disc is. This is often resolved by installing suitable software for playing VCD / SVCD discs.

If you have such software installed but the auto play screen still does not appear then for XP you can install TweakUI
There is a similar program for Vista

Post by **Ron P.** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 10:58 am

If you're wanting the windows prompt asking what program to use to open/view the file (2nd screenshot), then in VS go to Share>Create>Video File and choose some format like WMV. Once your video file is created then just burn that file to your CD, using whatever burn program you use to backup data onto CDs or DVDs. Then when the CD is inserted to the PCs drive, windows should provide that prompt. The user selects their favorite media player (Windows Media Player, QuickTime, WinDVD, Real Player), and they can view your clip.

Now keep in mind this will not play in your car, for that you must create an audio CD.

Below are 2 screenshots, the first is a Data CD, that has video clips, photos, some audio (music) and an old VideoStudio Project file.

The next is of an audio cd that you can play in your car. Notice the file extension of cda, and that all the songs are just listed as Tracks.

skier-hughes · Post by **skier-hughes** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 12:34 pm

jillc wrote:Vidoman: Thanks for that link but when VideoStudio creates the disk it gets locked. I can't see how to add anything to it. Or am I missing something?
Once a vcd has been made you cannot add any more to it, regardless of which programme you use.
All: You haven't really helped me solve my biggest problem.
When I insert the CD in the computer drive I get a screen like this:

When I want it to be something like this:

I can't figure why VideoStudio doesn't create this in its process.

It looks to me like the option from your second screen shot - Open folder to view files has been selected along with placing a tick in the always do the selected action.

You need to
Right-click the drive-letter of the cd drive in My Computer.
Properties
Click the AutoPlay tab
Select the Content type from the drop-down list
Select "Prompt me to choose an action"... and click OK

Post by **Ron P.** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 2:03 pm

I re-read what you posted

I can't figure why VideoStudio doesn't create this in its process.

Are you asking why VS does not create that prompt?

If not then;
VS creates files, and your operating system needs to determine what program is needed to play or open files. Steve provided the instruction for getting windows to produce that prompt when you insert a disc into the drive. You can also set windows to auto-play certain formats of discs. So if you have a CD that has WMV files on it, and you set windows to auto-play WMV files using Windows Media Player, inserting that CD will then cause WMP to launch.