Above is yet another of the few licensed Sliders products - episodes for sale on VCD. These VCDs come in sets of two CD discs with one episode per disc. The VCD is so far only being offered in a few places on the internet, the cheapest of which is Absolute Music (for a direct link to the page to buy the Sliders VCD, Click Here.
For those unfamiliar, VCD (or Video CD) is a audio/video format using MPEG-1 compression. This allows the VCD to be played on all PC that supports MPEG-1 decompression. As most major production companies did not support this format, nearly all VCDs released are made under license by smaller production companies. Also, as you will see below, VCD is basically a cheap way of producing DVD's and this reflects in both features and price (since the Sliders VCD is selling for $5.99 U.S. with Absolute Music charing an additional $3.50 for shipping and handling).
The picture quality approaches the best of VHS tape. VCD is recorded in stereo. The best result is obtained by playing VCD through a DVD player that supports VCD. DVD players from Toshiba, Panasonic, Philips, Sony, Yamaha usually allow VCD playback. For more info check with your local dealer for details. The limitation of VCD is that the picture quality cannot match those of LDs or DVDs. VCD also does not support surround sound like Dolby, Pro-Logic, THX, AC-3, or DTS. Nevertheless, authentic VCD gives a very good account of itself compared to the best of VHS format.
For computers, VCD allows playback on any PC with CD-ROM drive and the necessary software. Microsoft's ActiveMovie that comes with Internet Explorer 3.0 or higher is recommended for playback as it has the best video and audio performance. Open the .DAT file from the \MPEGAV directory of the CD with the ActiveMovie when it is installed. Best performance on computer is achieved by installing a dedicated MPEG video card. Most MPEG-2 card that supports DVD format would also run VCD.
These Sliders VCDs are being produced by Multinara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (a locale prominently featured in the Sean Connery/Catherine Zeta Jones movie "Entrapment"). The reason is that VCDs are highly popular in Asia and Europe. Also, one my ask why "Exodus" was the first set released. As pointed out by Dominion Sliders Bboard member AlternityOrange, Multinara has produced several VCDs as videos from The Who and the rock opera Tommy. Apparently, Multinara is fond of Roger Daltry...
