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VCD Karaoke – What does it stand for, and what about players and discs for this format?

 

What does VCD stand for? VCD quite simply stands for Video CD. You may see discs around the world with V1.0, V2.0 etc etc. on the label – this “version number” signifies the evolution of the format. VCD is one of the 4 common formats in Karaoke today, the others being DVD, CDG and divX (more on these 3 above and below.) A VCD Karaoke disc is the same size as a regular CD, 120mm. When hooked up to your TV, a VCD Karaoke disc displays a video in the background, with song lyrics imposed over the top. Your TV will display the words to the song on your screen and change colour when it is time to sing those lyrics.

 

What about players for the VCD format? The majority of our Karaoke players will play Video CDs, and these are clearly categorized when you visit our Karaoke equipment section. Karaoke VCD Players will usually have a place to plug in a microphone, a key controller to adjust for the singer's key, and an echo control to enhance the singer's voice. It is worth noting that VCD Karaoke discs can be used on the vast majority of household DVD players, Sony Playstations and the like, but regular CD players will neither read sound or vision from VCDs.

 

What about discs for the VCD format? This is a format which is available at a good price, mostly due to the mass production discs from the Far East. Video CD is incredibly popular in China and Japan, where many people watch their movies on VCD with VCD players. Historically, the US and UK manufacturers, with the exception of Sunfly, tended to ignore this format and concentrate production on CDG discs. As a result, the titles on the whole tend to compile the “International” hits i.e. artists who crossover to both the US and the UK, such as Madonna, U2, The Beatles, Elvis and the likes. All decades of UK hits can be found on VCD. The downside is that no-one is producing any really up to date chart titles, and artists that were almost peculiar to Britain tend to get ignored by VCD compilers (Fleetwood Mac, Shakin Stevens, Status Quo, Madness, Showaddywaddy, Erasure, Duran Duran – you get the drift!) Of the 6,000 or so titles on this site, approx 13% are on the VCD format. A typical VCD disc contains between 10 and 15 tracks and costs between £7 and £12. There are also many VCD package deals available which offer terrific value, as well as giving your collection a great kick-start!

 

How can I tell if the title I’m choosing is a Karaoke VCD disc? Once you choose to look at our Karaoke Discs Department, you will see that our navigation maps are quite clear. You will always get a choice of formats as you browse. As a further check, all individual products are fully described when you click on “more information” for them. Another handy tip we can give you is quite simple – all of our VCD Karaoke discs have an order code which starts with the letters KV – you can rely on it!