there are quite a few dvd players that can play vcd and svcd here in the states. i have a cheapo apex ad-1500 that plays them very well.
vcds are roughly vhs quality mpeg 1 video
svcd are dvd quality mpeg2 video with almost the playing time of the little dvd discs (which noone uses)
btw most if not all apex dvd players are vcd/svcd capable but their remotes suck at least the ad-1500 and 2500 do
