| Formats |
 |
| CD+G (CDG) |
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| Also known as: CD+G, CD+Graphics, Karaoke CD |
| A CDG is the most common karaoke format. These discs will play in any karaoke player that is CDG compatible. The song lyrics will be displayed on any TV, when the TV is connected to the CDG player. These discs will also play in most normal CD players; however the lyrics will not be displayed. Only the music is playable through a CD player. |
| CDGs do not contain lead vocals. If the original song contains any background vocals (e.g. chorus, harmonies, etc.), the karaoke version will usually contain them as well. |
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| DVD |
|
| Also known as: Digital Video Disc, Digital Versatile Disc |
| A DVD can only be played in a DVD compatible player. This format is growing in popularity, mainly because of the on-screen menus and higher quality graphics and backgrounds. A DVD disc tends to be more expensive but can also hold many more songs. This format hasn't quite taken off just yet, but is expected to in the near future. |
| DVDs may contain removable lead vocals. If the original song contains any background vocals (e.g. chorus, harmonies, etc.), the karaoke version will usually contain them as well. |
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| CDGM (Multiplex) |
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| Also known as: Multiplex, CDG Multiplex, CD+Graphics MultiPlex |
| A CDGM is a special type of CDG karaoke disc. There are two tracks for each song on the disc, one track in karaoke format and the other track with the lead vocals so you can learn the song. Typically a CDGM has half the number of songs that a normal CDG disc has. |
| When played in a player with a multiplex button (MPX), or pan/balance control, one can turn on and off the lead vocals during playback. This gives the user the opportunity to turn off the lead vocals as needed. If these controls are not available on the user's player, the user can simply play the other track without lead vocals. |
| If the original song contains any background vocals (e.g. chorus, harmonies, etc.), the karaoke version will usually contain them as well. |
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| VCD: |
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| Also known as: Video Compact Disc |
| VCD is a disc formatted in MPEG-1. A VCD can only be played in a VCD compatible player. This format is very popular overseas, particularly in Asian countries. These discs contain moving video backgrounds while the lyrics are displayed over them, on the screen. This format is rarely used in North America. |
| VCDs usually do not contain lead vocals. If the original song contains any background vocals (e.g. chorus, harmonies, etc.), the karaoke version will usually contain them as well. |
