Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
As a replacement for Photo CD, Kodak offered the simpler Picture CD service. Unlike Photo CD,
Picture CD uses the industry-standard JPEG file format. It uses a CD-R, with up to 40 images stored
at a single medium-resolution scan of 1,024 × 1,536 pixels. This resolution is adequate for 4-inch ×
6-inch and 5-inch × 7-inch prints. The images can also be made available via Kodak Gallery, where
the same images are posted online and can be downloaded.
The software provided with Picture CD enables the user to manipulate images with various automatic
or semiautomatic operations, but unlike Photo CD, the standard JPEG (JPG) file format used for
storage enables any popular image-editing program to work with the images without conversion.
Services similar to Picture CD are also offered by Fujifilm and Agfa, and some stores allow you to
order Kodak Picture CD with your choice of store-brand or Kodak film processing. You can also
create a Picture CD at kiosks that include a Rapid Print Scanner.
Note
By scanning your own 35mm negatives with a high-performance flatbed or dedicated film
scanner, you can achieve much higher resolutions (up to 5,400 dpi optical) that support larger
images sizes than what Picture CD offers. For example, a 3,200 dpi scan of a full-frame 35mm
film negative has a resolution of about 2,570x4,450 pixels. By scanning negatives yourself, you
can also select the quality of JPEG images and save images in other formats, such as TIFF.
Some photo labs offer high-resolution film developing and scanning services if you prefer not
to scan your own film.
White Book—Video CD
The White Book standard was introduced in 1993 by Philips, JVC, Matsushita, and Sony. It is based
on the Green Book (CD-i) and CD-ROM XA standards and allows for storing up to 74 minutes of
MPEG-1 video and ADPCM digital audio data on a single disc. The latest version (2.0) was released
in April 1995. Video CD (VCD) 2.0 supports MPEG-1 compression with a 1.15Mbps bit rate. The
screen resolution is 352×240 for NTSC format and 352×288 for European PAL format. In addition, it
supports Dolby Pro Logic-compatible stereo sound.
You can think of VCDs as a sort of poor man's DVD format, although the picture and sound quality
can actually be quite good—certainly better than VHS or most other videotape formats. You can play
VCDs on virtually any PC with an optical drive using the free WMP. (Other media player
applications can be used as well.) You can also play VCDs on most DVD players. Although you can
create VCDs with popular DVD production programs such as Roxio Creator 2012 or Adobe
Premiere Elements, prerecorded VCD media is difficult to find today, thanks to the popularity of the
higher-quality (and easier to copy-protect) DVD and Blu-ray formats.
Super Video CD
The Super Video CD specification 1.0, published in May 1999, is an enhanced version of the White
Book VCD specification. It uses MPEG-2 compression, an NTSC screen resolution of 480×480, and
a PAL screen resolution of 480×576; it also supports MPEG-2 5.1 surround sound and multiple
languages.
Most home DVD-creation programs can create VCDs or Super VCDs.
Blue Book—CD EXTRA
