White Book

White Book refers to a standard of compact disc that stores not only sound but also still pictures and motion video. These discs, most commonly found in Asia, are usually called "Video CDs" or "VCDs." VCDs can be thought of as the successor to Laserdisc and the predecessor to SVCD and DVD.

Here is some information on the format of the VCD itself, as well as the audio and video stored on these discs:

• White Book Compact Disc ("Video CD/VCD")
  • ISO 9660-compliant
  • Format: Mode 2/XA
  • Maximum Length: Usually 74 minutes
  • Audio Format
    • Format: PCM
    • Resolution: 16-bit
    • Sample Rate: 44,100 KHz (kilohertz)
    • Number of Channels: 2 (stereo)
  • Video Format
    • Format: MPEG-1
    • Resolution: 352x240 for NTSC video, 352x288 for PAL video
    • Frames Rate: 29.97 for NTSC video, 25 for PAL video
    • Bitrate: About 1.13 Mbps (megabits per second)

Related Article: Read the Wikipedia article "Video CD" for more information regarding video quality (clarity) as well as comparisons with VHS, SVCD, and DVD.