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Reference.org
White Book (CD standard)
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<p>The White Book refers to a standard of <a href="/facts/Compact_disc/g51GRloc">compact disc</a> that stores not only <a href="/facts/Sound/DlKXlPuF">sound</a> but also still <a href="/facts/Picture/hbjEdTXK">pictures</a> and motion <a href="/facts/Video/F1AV8ben">video</a>. It was released in 1993 by <a href="/facts/Sony/7x4tCtBd">Sony</a>, <a href="/facts/Philips_Consumer_Electronics/fa3rIQms">Philips</a>, <a href="/facts/Matsushita_Electric_Industrial_Co./TqkBQmgj">Matsushita</a>, and <a href="/facts/JVC/6n2rTgzw">JVC</a>. These discs, most commonly found in <a href="/facts/Asia/4IToYrrQ">Asia</a>, are usually called "<a href="/facts/Video_CD/87gb1XJ5">Video CDs</a>" (VCD). In some ways, VCD can be thought of as the successor to the <a href="/facts/Laserdisc/nU4WJhDM">Laserdisc</a> and the predecessor to <a href="/facts/DVD/7fJsHJrN">DVD</a>. Note that Video CD should not be confused with <a href="/facts/CD_Video/T7pxUtxy">CD Video</a> which was an earlier and entirely different format. </p><p>Several extensions to the White Book were published in later years: VCD 2.0 in 1995, VCD-Internet in 1997, and <a href="/facts/Super_Video_CD/KHNsG689">Super Video CD</a> (SVCD) in 1998. The standard is not freely available and must be licensed from Philips. </p><p>The White Book also defines the more general CD-i Bridge format (also called CD-Bridge or simply "bridge discs"), which are <a href="/facts/CD-ROM_XA/JwuaYLJv">CD-ROM XA</a> discs with an additional <a href="/facts/Green_Book_(CD_standard)/SrDmhr1K">Green Book CD-i</a> specific application program. The CD-ROM XA information in bridge discs can be obtained through <a href="/facts/CD-ROM/JwuaYLJv">CD-ROM</a> drives, while CD-i players can use the CD-i program to read bridge discs as well (hence the "bridge" status between CD-ROMs and CD-i discs). Bridge discs must conform to both the CD-ROM XA and Green Book CD-i specifications. VCDs and SVCDs fall under the category of bridge discs, as do <a href="/facts/Photo_CD/Y4Klg0hA">Photo CDs</a> and <a href="/facts/Karaoke_CD/z5Wcqj7d">Karaoke CDs</a>. </p><p>The following is a summary of the specifications for VCDs and SVCDs. For more details, see <a href="/facts/Video_CD/87gb1XJ5">Video CD</a> and <a href="/facts/Super_Video_CD/KHNsG689">Super Video CD</a>. </p> <ul><li>File system: <a href="/facts/ISO_9660/zAEVMFnu">ISO 9660</a>-compliant</li> <li>Format: <a href="/facts/CD-ROM_XA/JwuaYLJv">Mode 2, Form 2/XA</a></li> <li>Maximum Length: Usually 74 minutes</li> <li><i>Audio Format</i> <ul><li>Format: <a href="/facts/MPEG-1_Audio_Layer_II/eBSjFASu">MPEG-1 Audio Layer II</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Bit_rate/ppUNMmVd">Bit rate</a>: 224 <a href="/facts/Kilobit/I79XYhdw">kilobits</a> per second</li> <li><a href="/facts/Sample_rate/xxck7aLN">Sample rate</a>: 44,100 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">Hz</a></li> <li>Number of Channels: 2 (<a href="/facts/Stereophonic_sound/z0vmJcGT">stereo</a>)</li></ul></li> <li><i>Video Format</i> <ul><li>Format: <a href="/facts/MPEG-1_Part_2/ewnQQLPD">MPEG-1 Part 2</a> (VCD), <a href="/facts/H.262%2fMPEG-2_Part_2/uKxBALVh">H.262/MPEG-2 Part 2</a> (SVCD)</li> <li>Resolution: 352×240 pixel for <a href="/facts/NTSC/HYWIvxCR">NTSC</a> video, 352×288 pixel for <a href="/facts/PAL/t8TugcxK">PAL</a> video (VCD); 480×480 pixel for NTSC video, 480×576 for PAL video (SVCD)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Frame_rate/sbRkc9xa">Frame rate</a>: 29.97 Hz (NTSC), 25 Hz (PAL)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Bit_rate/ppUNMmVd">Bit rate</a>: 1150 kbit/s</li></ul></li></ul>