With Nero version 5.0 and higher you can also add single pictures to a (Super) VideoCD. Unlike video films, single pictures can and must be encoded by Nero itself.
From version V5.5, filetypes bmp, ico, ljp, pbm, pcx, png, tga, tif and wmf can be used as a source for freeze frames.
The encoded pictures are stored in the first track and are listed in the SEGMENT directory when the CD contents are viewed on a PC. A (S)VCD must contain at least one further track so Nero generates an additional empty track if the (S)VCD contains single pictures only.
It is Nero's declared objective to make the production of simple slideshows as easy as possible. For this reason Nero uses the same interface with the user as it does for Audio CDs (a simple list of the pieces on the CD) and creates a CD that plays these pieces in the specified sequence. The pictures are automatically converted to the resolution which is expected of (S)VCD, so the original pictures can have any resolution. Options which can be used to intervene in the picture editing process are planned for future versions of Nero. The creation of small preview pictures that can be magnified to full picture size by means of simple commands is also planned.
The resolutions that are supported by both standards are shown below:
PAL | NTSC | |
VCD, normal | 352x288 | 352x240 |
VCD, high | 704x576 | 704x480 |
SVCD, normal | 480x576 | 480x480 |
SVCD, high | 704x576 | 704x480 |
A VCD always stores the normal resolution for older players and it can also offer the higher resolution for players with a better display. An SVCD on the other hand only stores one of the two resolutions. Nero generates the higher resolution when the source picture is large enough and also detects the video mode automatically.