Date: Sun, 28 Apr 1996 01:13:53 -0700 (PDT) From: Brian Litzinger <brian@MediaCity.com> To: beto@plan9.cs.su.oz.au Cc: multimedia@freebsd.org Subject: Re: VideoCD? Message-ID: <199604280813.BAA08659@MediaCity.com> In-Reply-To: <199604260853.BAA00740@rah.star-gate.com> from "Amancio Hasty Jr." at "Apr 26, 96 01:53:51 am"
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> Hi Amancio, > > I found your name in the Omnimedia web page > as a reference to reading data from VideoCD CDROM. > I've been trying to do that for a while but all I got > is an ill formatted MPEG file which only shows > the top 10-15% of the screen. I need the data for > some experiments I'm doing with a video server as part > of PhD. > I believe Amancio was credited with how to read Mode 2 Form 2 sectors. Not VideoCD format specifically. I wrote all the VideoCD and CDI disk reading stuff in the Omnimedia software and some others. >... > 1) Is VideoCD compatible with MPEG1? I'd say the question is non-sequiter. > 2) How are you reading the data? You may be refering to tmplay which I wrote for FreeBSD, which reads VideoCD and CDI and plays via a Talisman XL MPEG I decoder card. The problem with reading VideoCD and CDI format diskettes is the the format is proprietary. All you need is a license from Sony/Philips and they will be happy to send you a 700 page book all about the formats. You can get the docs by joining a consortium for $100 or $350. You will also be required to negotiate a subsequent license if you plan to sell anything based on the information made available to you and it is unlikely you would be allowed to publish any of your source, at least as it pertains to information gained from the docs. Now to be honest, you did say VideoCD above and not CDI, so you really might mean VideoCD as described in the "White Book", rather than CDI VideoCD. The "White Book" VideoCD format is available from anyone willing to make available the "White Book" CDROM spec to you. I'm not sure who that would be. The "White Book" VideoCD format is described in the phillips/sony stuff. Also, there have been several publications of source code capable of reading CDDA audio tracks. At least one of those responsible for the source releases was later "spoken" to by representatives of philips/sony. CDDA for DOS and CDD available for FreeBSD and probably other BSD variants can read CDDA type audio tracks and would be a starting point for reading VideoCDs. Lastly, while OmniMedia was licensing CDI from philips/sony some vary interesting stuff came out that people on the list might be interested in. Basically, it was that there is a consortium of 10 companies which claim patents rights applicable to MPEG I. The consortium is apparently trying to agree among themselves on how to best extort license fees from people using MPEG I now and in the future. Yes, I brought up all the standard arguments and they were clearly prepared for them. Just thought you'd like to know. -- Brian Litzinger <brian@mediacity.com>
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