Well, I did it. Watched all of RoboCop 2 on VCD—on a CRT—outdoors, in my backyard.

Why? Not because it’s the “best” way to watch RoboCop 2. That would be a projector in a dark room. But I still own a Sony Trinitron and a Toshiba DVD player that’s backwards-compatible with VCDs. So when I found a copy in a thrift shop, I jumped at the chance to cosplay as a Tokyo salaryman in 1998.

VCD has always fascinated me. I remember seeing it demoed on a Philips CD-i—back when that was supposed to be the future. But I was a teenager, and there was no way I could convince my parents to spend $600 on something that looked like a toaster and played Burn:Cycle.

Probably for the best. The CD-i flopped in North America, and VCD barely made a dent. But in Asia? Massive success. So successful, you can still import brand-new titles. In 2025. For real.

Now let me be clear: on modern TVs, VCD looks awful. Low-res MPEG-1 video smeared across a 1080p screen is pain. But on a CRT? It works. You get sharper colour separation, no tape degradation, no tracking issues, and discs are far more heat- and humidity-resistant than tape ever was. I totally get why this format won out in hot climates.

That said, it has real flaws. Most movies come on two discs. You can see pixels—even on a CRT. And occasionally, compression artifacts float across the screen like ghosting shadows. VHS was blurrier, yes—but it was also more forgiving.

Still, let’s be honest: rewinding tapes was always a chore. VCD boots instantly. No hiss. No jammed reels. No chewed-up tape. Just press play.

So how was RoboCop 2 on VCD? Surprisingly great. The movie itself feels built for this exact experience: digital source, analog display. Grainy, loud, kind of ugly—but in a good way. Total time capsule energy.

Should you collect VCDs in 2025? Only if you’re like me and romanticize obsolete tech. If you hate pixels, compression artifacts, and pre-DVD formats, then no—run away. But if the idea of watching cyberpunk trash on a 4:3 CRT in your backyard sounds fun? Then yeah. Absolutely.

  • klu9@piefed.socialEnglish
    11·
    12 days ago

    I bought a second-hand Phillips CD-i around '97 (once the format flopped, they were pretty cheap) with FMV (Full Motion Video) chip, and bought a few VCDs in Chinatown.

    Can’t remember all of them (some HK action flicks) but I definitely had The Replacement Killers, one of the few Western films they sold, because it starred Chow Yun-Fat.

    (Also had the Demolition Man game for the CD-i. And got a bunch of other obsolete/flopped consoles: Panasonic 3DO, Atari Jaguar, Sega Game Gear etc.)

    But I don’t have any of that any more, all gone in various moves over the years.

    I do still have a few films in .rmvb, the “VCD of filesharing formats” ;) as it was very popular for sharing East Asian films.

    Anyways, I don’t think you’re unwell but then who am I to talk? :D