Basic DVD question. Can most DVD players play MPEGS that I download from the internet? Or is that something that is a specific feature on some models.
I realize this is a vague question so I’ll live with vague answers. I don’t have a specific model in mind. What feature would I have to look for in a player to have that option, if possible.
Er, how would you get them to your DVD player from your computer? Were you planning to just burn them onto a CD? If so, two warnings: many players currently being produced have trouble reading burned CDs, and there’s more to making a Video CD (VCD) than just burning the MPEG on a disc. There are programs out there that’ll help you create VCDs properly, but, like I said, make sure your player can play CD-R discs before you invest much in this enterprise.
Short answer, No. Long answer, maybe. Under very specific conditions. To elaborate on what Max has already said:
DVD video files are in MPEG-2 format and tend to be very large with the file extension .VOB. Most internet MPG video is in MPEG-1 format. Currently, DVD burners/authoring software are prohibitively expensive (thousands of $) so burning a DVD is out (for now).
However, most DVD players can play VCDs which are MPEG-1 format. Specifically, VCD MPEG-1 files need to be:
Video: 352x240 res., 29.97 frames per sec.
Audio: 224 kbits, 44.1 khz.
VCD format MPEG-1 files are common on the net.
Next, you need to burn a VCD using common CD burner software, e.g., Easy-CD Creator. But, since the lasers used in DVD players are of a much shorter wavelength than CD players, they do not reflect properly off CDRs. They can, however, read CDRWs properly due to their darker ink. To combat this problem, some manufacturers employ a dual laser system to properly read CDRs, e.g., Pioneer.
Cheers,
Hodge
Thanks for the answers.
Very simply, I burned about 500 megs of mpegs onto a CD to save hard drive space and was just curious if I could play them in my medium range DVD player. I was at work when I posted this, that’s why I didn’t just try it. I have since tried it and the DVD won’t recognize the CD-R. No big deal. Just thought it would be cool to watch it on the couch instead of in my desk chair.
Some DVD players have a harder time than others when it comes to playing CDRs. My 4 year old Sony DVD player played burned VCDs just fine.
Also, strangely enough, I was reading the specs on some random DVD player or other, and it supposedly played MPEGs that were burned to disc - they were probably white book (VCD) compliant, though the article did say it didn’t have to be a VCD.
Also, even if an MPEG is white book compliant, it takes a special program to burn it as a VCD, which has a specific directory structure and supposedly needs to be burned as two tracks. In other words, you can’t just burn the MPEG to CD regardless of its specs. Like Hodge said, Easy CD Creator 4 does it, and that’s what I use, personally. Just some info for the future. 
There is a possibility that you could write mpegs to a CDR and create a “CDV” which is a CD-based format for video. It isn’t nearly the quality of a DVD due to the lower storage capacity. And they’re hard to format, I don’t know any convenient or cheap software to create CDVs.
What you really need is the new Mac G4 tower with DVD-R. It’s the first machine to ship with a DVD recorder in it that can burn DVDs that will play in regular consumer DVD machines. Media is $10 each. The “Superdrive” also reads and writes CDR and CDRW. Hot stuff. Get one.
I actually created a VCD from an MPEG-1 file (with EZ CD Creator 4) and tried to play it on my DVD. Didn’t work. Now that I read this I’m going to try it on a rewriteable CD instead and see if that works. My DVD player says it’ll play VCDs… so it must be that it couldn’t read the CD-R.
If I bought better quality CD-Rs would that fix the problem? I remember reading that the Gold dye was the best kind you could buy.