Editing Video CD (section)

== Adoption ==

===In North America===
Video CDs were unable to gain acceptance as a mainstream format in [[North America]], chiefly because the established VHS format was less expensive, offered comparable video quality, and could be recorded over.<ref name="NGen3" /> The advent of [[CD-R|recordable CDs]], inexpensive recorders, and compatible DVD players spurred VCD acceptance in the US in the late 1990s and early 2000s.<ref name="nytfoothold">{{cite news| first = Scot | last = Meyer | title =  Versatile Video CD's Get a Foothold in U.S. | date=April 26, 2001 |work= [[New York Times]] | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/26/technology/versatile-video-cd-s-get-a-foothold-in-us.html| access-date = 2008-02-12 }}</ref> However, DVD burners and DVD-Video recorders were available by that time, and equipment and media costs for making DVD-Video fell rapidly. DVD-Video, with its longer run time and much higher quality, quickly overshadowed VCD in areas that could afford it. In addition many early DVD players could not read recordable (CD-R) media,<ref>{{cite web|first=Hugh |last=Bennett |title=DVD-ROM and CD-R: the compatibility question answered - includes related article on reading mixed media |date=March 1998 |publisher=Emedia Professional |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FXG/is_n3_v11/ai_20324077 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712150805/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FXG/is_n3_v11/ai_20324077 |archive-date=2012-07-12 }}</ref> and this limited the compatibility of home-made VCDs.

===In Asia===
The VCD format was very popular throughout [[Asia]]<ref>{{cite news | first = Junko | last = Yoshida | title = Video CD: China one, West zero | date = December 1999 | work = [[EE Times]] | url = http://www.eetimes.com/special/special_issues/millennium/milestones/baichuan.html | access-date = 2008-02-12 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20050409025119/http://www.eetimes.com/special/special_issues/millennium/milestones/baichuan.html | archive-date = 2005-04-09 | url-status = live }}</ref>
(except [[Japan]] and [[South Korea]]) in the late 1990s through the 2000s, with 8 million VCD players sold in China in 1997 alone,<ref>{{cite news | first1 = George | last1 = Leopold | first2 = Junko | last2 =Yoshida | title = Chinese supplier preps low-cost digital TVs for U.S. market | date=January 13, 1999 | publisher = [[EE Times]] | url = http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG19990113S0009 | access-date = 2008-02-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040329034332/http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG19990113S0009|archive-date=March 29, 2004}}</ref>
and more than half of all Chinese households owning at least one VCD player by 2005.<ref>{{cite news| title = Chinese families double their incomes in 10 years | date=January 12, 2005 | publisher = [[China Daily]] | url = http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-01/12/content_408150.htm | access-date = 2008-02-12 }}</ref> However, popularity has declined over the years, as the number of [[Hong Kong]] factories that produced VCDs dropped from 98 in 1999 to 26 in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1082521/customs-criticised-pursuit-outdated-cd-and-vcd-piracy |title=Customs criticised for pursuit of outdated CD and VCD piracy |work=South China Morning Post |date= 15 November 2012 |author=Amy Nip and Phila Siu }}</ref>

This popularity was due, in part, to most households not already owning [[Videocassette recorder|VCR]]s when VCDs were introduced, the low price of the players, their tolerance of high humidity (a notable problem for VHS tapes), easy storage and maintenance, and the lower-cost media.<ref name="nytfoothold" /> Western sources have cited unauthorized content as a principal incentive for VCD player ownership.<ref>{{cite news |first=Elisabeth |last=Rosenthal |title=Counterfeiters Turn Magic into Cash |date=November 25, 2001 |work=[[New York Times]] |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06EED7133AF936A15752C1A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2 | access-date = 2008-02-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090123181326/https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06EED7133AF936A15752C1A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2|archive-date=January 23, 2009}}</ref><ref name=nytgrinch>{{cite news| first = Craig S. |last=Smith |title=A Tale of Piracy: How the Chinese Stole the Grinch | date=December 12, 2000 | work = [[New York Times]] | url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01E0DD123FF931A25751C1A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130095857/https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01E0DD123FF931A25751C1A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all|archive-date=January 30, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| first = Seth | last = Faison | title = China Turns Blind Eye to Pirated Disks |date=March 28, 1998 |work=[[New York Times]] |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9401E1D7143BF93BA15750C0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090123081439/https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9401E1D7143BF93BA15750C0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |archive-date=January 23, 2009 }}</ref>

VCDs are often produced and sold in Asian countries and regions, such as [[China]] (including [[Hong Kong]]), [[Taiwan]], [[Singapore]], [[Malaysia]], [[Thailand]], [[Cambodia]], [[Laos]], [[Brunei]], [[Myanmar]], [[Indonesia]], [[Philippines]], [[Vietnam]], [[Bangladesh]], [[India]], [[Turkey]], [[Pakistan]] and [[Afghanistan]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF3k2ADabkc | title=Taliban Rule Ends in Kabul (2001) | website=[[YouTube]] | date=28 November 2018 }}</ref> In many Asian countries, major Hollywood studios (and Asian home video distributors) have licensed companies to officially produce and distribute the VCDs, such as Intercontinental Video Ltd. of Hong Kong, Sunny Video in Malaysia, Vision Interprima Pictures in Indonesia, CVD International, APS Intermusic Co. Ltd and Pacific Marketing and Entertainment Group in Thailand, Excel Home Entertainment in India, Berjaya-HVN and InnoForm Media in both Malaysia and Singapore, Scorpio East Entertainment in Singapore, as well as [[Viva Communications|Viva Video]], Magnavision Home Video, and C-Interactive Digital Entertainment in the Philippines. Legal Video CDs can often be found in established video stores and major book outlets in most Asian countries. They are typically packaged in jewel cases like commercial CDs, though higher-profile films may be released in [[keep case]]s, differentiated by the VCD logo.

In Asia, the use of VCDs as carriers for [[karaoke]] music is very common.  One channel would feature a mono track with music and singing, another channel a pure instrumental version for karaoke singing.  Prior to this, karaoke music was carried on [[LaserDisc]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mamber |first=Stephen |title=The Routledge Companion to Media Technology and Obsolescence |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781315442686 |editor-last=Wolf |editor-first=Mark J.P. |edition=1st |publication-date=2019 |pages=346-347 |language=en |chapter=LaserDiscs: On the Way to a Digital Video Future}}</ref>

===Worldwide trends===
VCD's growth had slowed in areas that could afford [[DVD-Video]], which offered most of the same advantages, as well as better picture quality<ref>{{cite news| title = Low DVD Prices to Drive up Sales | date=September 5, 2001 | publisher = [[People's Daily]] | url = http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/english/200109/05/eng20010905_79358.html | access-date = 2008-02-12 }}</ref>
(higher resolution with fewer digital compression artifacts) due to its larger storage capacity. However, VCD had simultaneously seen significant growth in emerging economies such as [[India]], [[Indonesia]] and most countries in [[Africa]] and [[South America]] as a low-cost alternative to DVD. As of 2004, the worldwide popularity of VCD was increasing.<ref>{{cite web| title = ESS Technology, Inc. 2003 Annual Report |date=2004 |publisher=[[ESS Technology]] |url=http://www.esstech.com/IR/Archive_PDF/03bus.pdf |page=3 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060314054929/http://www.esstech.com/IR/Archive_PDF/03bus.pdf |archive-date=2006-03-14 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=ESS product to vie with VCD players |date=August 10, 2004 |publisher=[[People's Daily]] |url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200408/10/eng20040810_152444.html |access-date=2008-04-01 }}</ref>