Author Topic: 1080p .mkv playback on a slower A64 system (Read 4503 times)

number1 · « **on:** Dec 07, 2008 at 07:00 PM »

Here's the dilemma. (Scroll down for more info on my ancient system setup).

Playback of 720p .mkv with Vuze off, everything is smooth, with very slight stuttering in rare instances. With Vuze on, slowdown is noticeable.

Playback of 1080p .mkv is unwatchable. If I use VLC, extreme slowdown , pixelation and audio delay is apparent. Using Community Codec + Media Player Classic, extreme slowdown and audio delay.

I use Vuze to download torrents so it always runs in the background whenever my pc is on.

I download 1080p .mkv files because in the future, I will be having a higher resolution than my current one (1280x1024). So asking me to download the 720p .mkv version is not a solution.

Without having to upgrade anything, is it even possible or realistic enough to be able to view 1080p .mkv files with just using the right codec and settings? (I know that question is a bit of stretch).

If I upgrade my VGA with something like a Radeon 4550, would the system unload all the decoding to the VGA therefore allow for viewable 1080p .mkv clips? What about Radeon 4670? Anyway my max. budget is Php5K, provided there are significant improvements.

At this point, upgrading to a whole new system is out of the question. I just use this system for browsing, downloading, viewing Divx and .mkv ; and some office applications.

My system is:

Cpu: Amd Athlon 64 3200+ (Venice)
Mb: 939Dual-SATA2 (ULi M1695)
Vga: GeCube Radeon 9550 128 mb ddr
Ram: 2 gb (2 x 1gb) Corsair DDR400

Resolution: 1280 x 1024 @ 60 Hz

WinXp Sp2
Catalyst 8.7
AC3 Filter
DivX Player 6.8 + codec
Windows Media Player 11
VLC player
Community Codec + Media Player Classic

xcntrick · « **Reply #1 on:** Dec 07, 2008 at 09:48 PM »

1. Use utorrent instead of vuze, it is a lightweight client and uses less resource when downloading torrent.
2. You did not mention how many HDD you have. If you're downloading to the same disk where you are playing your mkv then you will probably notice lag or stuttering because the HDD is both reading and writing. I suggest using a dedicated HDD for download and another for your system/temp files.
3. Install coreavc. This is a software accelerator in place of h/w. 1080p use to stop on my machine (P4 2.8GHz, 1GB mem, ATI 9550, 2x80GB HDD) too before I used coreavc.
4. Use other player than VLC. Try media player classic (comes with K-Lite or other codecs) or GOM Player.
5. If you're buying a video card, go for the ATI 4630/50 bang for the buck card. Don't a 64 bit card.

Hope this helps.

number1 · « **Reply #2 on:** Dec 07, 2008 at 10:04 PM »

Re: HDD

You are right. I'm using the same drive for both downloading and storing/playing the .mkv file. Actually, they are on different partitions but still the same drive.

I have the ff HDD (all in NTFS format):

1.) 80Gb (Seagate/SATA) - split into 2 partitions. 1st partition/ C: = 48.8 Gb. 2nd partition = 25.7 Gb

2.) 120 gb (Seagate/PATA) - split into 2 partitions.

3.) 300 Gb (Seagate/SATA) - split into 2 partitions. 1st partition = 139 Gb partition= current and past download contents. 2nd partition = past download contents.

Drive #3 is the involved in downloading, storage and playing of those .mkv files.

re: coreavc.

How is the performance of the 1080p with it on your P4? Watchable?

xcntrick · « **Reply #3 on:** Dec 09, 2008 at 07:05 PM »

Perhaps this tip can help futher,
If you're not downloading from a private tracker that requires you to share to keep your ratio up, you can set utorrent (or maybe vuze) to use your 120GB as your download HDD and "automatically" move them to the 300GB when D/L is finished. This way you can store all your finished downloads and watch them as well while downloading. Your 120GB will serve as a temp storage for shared/downloading torrents.

re: coreavc.

How is the performance of the 1080p with it on your P4? Watchable?

Ans. I have IMAX Magic of Flight 1080P loaded on the DVD drive and plays with no lags. But since my rig is still a single core, I don't have any other application running on the background when playing the 1080P mkv, (except utorrent and std stuff like antivirus, etc.).
The bitrate of the mkv file could also be a factor. The higher the bitrate used the more demanding it will probably be because there is more content being played.

momay · « **Reply #4 on:** Dec 15, 2008 at 03:23 PM »

Quote from: xcntrick on Dec 07, 2008 at 09:48 PM

1. Use utorrent instead of vuze, it is a lightweight client and uses less resource when downloading torrent.
i can say that this is now an obsolete conception for utorrent. if you are downloading 1080p's (size ranges from 8gb-16gb) you will definitely use a lot of memory. once i downloaded the 30gb TDK BD and i almost runout of system memory.no other apps running in the background except utorrent.
2. You did not mention how many HDD you have. If you're downloading to the same disk where you are playing your mkv then you will probably notice lag or stuttering because the HDD is both reading and writing. I suggest using a dedicated HDD for download and another for your system/temp files.
3. Install coreavc. This is a software accelerator in place of h/w. 1080p use to stop on my machine (P4 2.8GHz, 1GB mem, ATI 9550, 2x80GB HDD) too before I used coreavc.
4. Use other player than VLC. Try media player classic (comes with K-Lite or other codecs) or GOM Player.
5. If you're buying a video card, go for the ATI 4630/50 bang for the buck card. Don't a 64 bit card.

Hope this helps.

number1 · « **Reply #5 on:** Dec 19, 2008 at 09:32 PM »

Which file type is more resource intensive? transport stream (.ts) or H264 in a matroska (.mkv)?

I downloaded a 30 GB "REMUX" of TDK. I also have an 7.9GB h264 mkv file. Both are 1080p.

I tried xcntrick 's suggestion of using CoreAVC codec (Version 1.8.5.0) with Media Player Classic. Well the result is almost the same as with using the community codec with the same player. VLC was not able to play the VC-1 Remux file.

I think I need to upgrade my PC.

ninjababez® · « **Reply #6 on:** Dec 22, 2008 at 10:41 PM »

Quote from: number1 on Dec 19, 2008 at 09:32 PM

I think I need to upgrade my PC.

yes you do ..

(atleast the processor, im not sure but i believe sprankiko of tipidpc is selling a dual core opteron, cheap)

raptor · « **Reply #7 on:** Dec 22, 2008 at 11:40 PM »

Upgrade your graphics card with ones that have hardware decode capability for HD files ... without that capability, your processor utilization is probably reaching more than 90% when watching 1080p movies - you can check this out with your performance monitor

number1 · « **Reply #8 on:** Dec 22, 2008 at 11:43 PM »

Quote from: raptor on Dec 22, 2008 at 11:40 PM

Upgrade your graphics card with ones that have hardware decode capability for HD files ... without that capability, your processor utilization is probably reaching more than 90% when watching 1080p movies - you can check this out with your performance monitor

Actually even without the other programs running in the background (ie. utorrent, emule, norton 360, etc...) , play of any 1080p (.mkv or .ts) processor use is a steady 100% all the way. Definitely cpu limited. Also read that even Q6600 are at times hard pressed to play 1080p.

ninjababez® · « **Reply #9 on:** Dec 22, 2008 at 11:50 PM »

Quote from: number1 on Dec 22, 2008 at 11:43 PM

Actually even without the other programs running in the background (ie. utorrent, emule, norton 360, etc...) , play of any 1080p (.mkv or .ts) processor use is a steady 100% all the way. Definitely cpu limited. Also read that even Q6600 are at times hard pressed to play 1080p.

that was a different story bro ..
the issue was software related

number1 · « **Reply #10 on:** Dec 24, 2008 at 10:51 PM »

Would upgrading to a compatible pci-e video card make the video playback smooth and audio in-synch? Even if I continue to use the slow 3200+ cpu?

ninjababez® · « **Reply #11 on:** Dec 24, 2008 at 11:02 PM »

Quote from: number1 on Dec 24, 2008 at 10:51 PM

Would upgrading to a compatible pci-e video card make the video playback smooth and audio in-synch? Even if I continue to use the slow 3200+ cpu?

you can try HD2400 series which has the following Product Features:
Hardware based H.264/VC-1 decoding of Blu-ray™ and HD DVDs
HDMI with 5.1 surround sound audio
DirectX® 10 support
Up to twice the performance of integrated graphics

but ill put my money on HD3400 series:
HD Video Beyond 1080p
With ATI Avivo™ HD technology, the latest Blu-ray and HD DVD movies play as smoothly as intended; at True HD 1080p. The Unified Video Decoder (UVD) relieves your CPU from the taxing video decode process and enables time-saving multi-tasking. Enjoy quality to spare with resolutions upscaled beyond 1080p for the most processing-intensive content. And with a choice of digital outputs, you have more options when enjoying your digital entertainment.1

number1 · « **Reply #12 on:** Dec 25, 2008 at 09:33 AM »

I'm thinking of getting the ff ATI Radeon:

Radeon 4550 series, 4600 Series, 4800 series bec. they have this:

>2nd generation Unified Video Decoder (UVD 2)
*Enabling hardware decode acceleration of H.264, VC-1 and MPEG-2

I'll probably get the series which my budget (max Php 5,000) allows.

But the most crucial question here is, will a video card upgrade make it playback smoothly or am I better off building a new system (based on the E5200, P45, etc...)

ninjababez® · « **Reply #13 on:** Dec 25, 2008 at 08:47 PM »

Quote from: number1 on Dec 25, 2008 at 09:33 AM

But the most crucial question here is, will a video card upgrade make it playback smoothly or am I better off building a new system (based on the E5200, P45, etc...)

ill choose the latter bro

a new system with a good builtin vga is the best route ..

number1 · « **Reply #14 on:** Dec 25, 2008 at 10:27 PM »

Quote from: ninjababez on Dec 25, 2008 at 08:47 PM

ill choose the latter bro
a new system with a good builtin vga is the best route ..

No doubt building a new system is still best. But I don't want to unnecessarily upgrade to a new system if I really don't have to (meaing if the video card upgrade route will enable me to play 1080p clips smoothly then that where I'm heading.)

Keep your feedbacks coming. thanks!

ninjababez® · « **Reply #15 on:** Dec 25, 2008 at 11:17 PM »

Quote from: number1 on Dec 25, 2008 at 10:27 PM

No doubt building a new system is still best. But I don't want to unnecessarily upgrade to a new system if I really don't have to (meaing if the video card upgrade route will enable me to play 1080p clips smoothly then that where I'm heading.)
Keep your feedbacks coming. thanks!

video cards that has hd playback capability are made carry the load of hd decoding.
but you also have to be sure that the other components can do their task.
e.g. you need 2gb of ram for your system to run smooth in hd playback.

number1 · « **Reply #16 on:** Dec 26, 2008 at 10:45 AM »

Quote from: ninjababez on Dec 25, 2008 at 11:17 PM

video cards that has hd playback capability are made carry the load of hd decoding.
but you also have to be sure that the other components can do their task.
e.g. you need 2gb of ram for your system to run smooth in hd playback.

How about my setup below? I can play 720p h264 clips with it, but with very slight slowdown once in a while. With 1080p, there is a tremendous audio lag and skipping frame is very apparent.

Thanks!

My system is:

Cpu: Amd Athlon 64 3200+ (Venice) --> stock HSF and no overclocks.
Mb: 939Dual-SATA2 (ULi M1695)
Vga: GeCube Radeon AGP 9550 128 mb ddr ---> will be upgraded to a pci-e radeon 4550, 46xx or 48xx, series
Ram: 2 GB (2 x 1gb) Corsair DDR400

WinXp Sp2
Catalyst 8.7 --> will be updated with the latest driver once the new video card is installed.
AC3 Filter
DivX Player 6.8 + codec
Windows Media Player 11
Media Player Classic
CoreAVC Professional (Version 1.8.5.0)

ninjababez® · « **Reply #17 on:** Dec 26, 2008 at 09:57 PM »

Quote from: number1 on Dec 26, 2008 at 10:45 AM

How about my setup below? I can play 720p h264 clips with it, but with very slight slowdown once in a while. With 1080p, there is a tremendous audio lag and skipping frame is very apparent.

Thanks!

My system is:

Cpu: Amd Athlon 64 3200+ (Venice) --> stock HSF and no overclocks.
Mb: 939Dual-SATA2 (ULi M1695)
Vga: GeCube Radeon AGP 9550 128 mb ddr ---> will be upgraded to a pci-e radeon 4550, 46xx or 48xx, series
Ram: 2 GB (2 x 1gb) Corsair DDR400

WinXp Sp2
Catalyst 8.7 --> will be updated with the latest driver once the new video card is installed.
AC3 Filter
DivX Player 6.8 + codec
Windows Media Player 11
Media Player Classic
CoreAVC Professional (Version 1.8.5.0)

do you live near parañaque? if yes, you can test it at questlogic tech, just look for ej he can demo you their video cards, beofre any purchase

bring your rig btw

number1 · « **Reply #18 on:** Dec 27, 2008 at 10:22 PM »

Let's say, I have the video card already. Are there any specific programs (player, codecs, etc..) that I should use to be able to take advantage of the hardware acceleration feature?

Btw, this is for a Radeon 4670 or 4830 ( I plan to get either one of them).

Their hardware acceleration specs:
>2nd generation Unified Video Decoder (UVD 2)
*Enabling hardware decode acceleration of H.264, VC-1 and MPEG-2

ninjababez® · « **Reply #19 on:** Dec 29, 2008 at 12:04 AM »

Quote from: number1 on Dec 27, 2008 at 10:22 PM

Let's say, I have the video card already. Are there any specific programs (player, codecs, etc..) that I should use to be able to take advantage of the hardware acceleration feature?

Btw, this is for a Radeon 4670 or 4830 ( I plan to get either one of them).

Their hardware acceleration specs:
>2nd generation Unified Video Decoder (UVD 2)
*Enabling hardware decode acceleration of H.264, VC-1 and MPEG-2

the only program that i know that doesnt use the vgas hd decoding is xbmc .. so you can try media player classic or kmplayer ..

number1 · « **Reply #20 on:** Dec 29, 2008 at 06:32 PM »

Found this Thread from avsforum. It essentially addresses the concerns and questions that I had when I first started this thread.

If your "old" system has a PCI-E port then you are in luck as the graphics card can be easily upgraded to one that does hardware acceleration.

Radeon 2xxx, 3xxx, 4xxx, series are all compatible with blu-ray, h264 hardware acceleration.

ninjababez® · « **Reply #21 on:** Dec 30, 2008 at 12:18 AM »

Quote from: number1 on Dec 29, 2008 at 06:32 PM

Found this Thread from avsforum. It essentially addresses the concerns and questions that I had when I first started this thread.

If your "old" system has a PCI-E port then you are in luck as the graphics card can be easily upgraded to one that does hardware acceleration.

Radeon 2xxx, 3xxx, 4xxx, series are all compatible with blu-ray, h264 hardware acceleration.

how about mkvs?

Clondalkin · « **Reply #22 on:** Dec 30, 2008 at 09:59 AM »

Quote from: ninjababez on Dec 30, 2008 at 12:18 AM

how about mkvs?

Bullseye.

Just a friendly reminder that in most cases, h264 hardware acceleration discussions in the popular sites refer to original high def disk playback, or, BD or HD DVD rip playback through applications such as PowerDVD and Nero.

However, the member Momay knows how to set-up a PC well to get full advantage of DXVA compliance of some 1080p MKV files (this apparently is the closest thing to MKV full hardware acceleration at the moment). Just note that his PC is quite powerful in the first place (Core 2 Duo powered I believe).

Anyway, good luck but my advise to you is, concentrate on the CPU, the proper codec/player combination - instead of graphics card upgrade. I have tried an ATI HD4850 and HD3870 on older Intel based systems (P4 and Pentium D) without success on 1080p. Then, you already mentioned trying CoreAVC 1.8.5 without success - that should have helped somehow because that is the CoreAVC version that finally helped my Pentium D machine - still not perfectly smooth on 1080p but at least audio and video are synched - thanks to recent tip from the member Chess).

Im afraid the surest way to go right now is by CPU/MOBO upgrade, or those popular NMTs like Popcorn and Egreat - if you really like to watch 1080p properly, they're worth the investment anyways.

Alfie · « **Reply #23 on:** Dec 30, 2008 at 10:58 AM »

Agree,why spend on an unsatisfying Video card( yes you might be able to watch hidef...but what about other apps...like videoconveritng??),when a powerful processor MoBo combination will approximate the same price.

number1 · « **Reply #24 on:** Dec 30, 2008 at 08:29 PM »

Quote from: Alfie on Dec 30, 2008 at 10:58 AM

Agree,why spend on an unsatisfying Video card( yes you might be able to watch hidef...but what about other apps...like videoconveritng??),when a powerful processor MoBo combination will approximate the same price.

As per PC Express price list. I think the same items from PC options gilmore can be had for less Php 12K.

Athlon 64 X2 5200 (2.7G) 1mb DC - Php 3,640
Gigabyte MA78GM-S2H AMD780 - Php 4,390
Kingston 2GB 667 / 800 ddr2 - Php 1,060 x 4 = Php 4,240

Total Php 12,270.

ninjababez® · « **Reply #25 on:** Dec 30, 2008 at 11:04 PM »

was able to run my band of brothers 1080p (hddvd r*pp*d) smoothly .. darn codecs seems to bug down ever 2 months ..

Quote from: number1 on Dec 30, 2008 at 08:29 PM

As per PC Express price list. I think the same items from PC options gilmore can be had for less Php 12K.

Athlon 64 X2 5200 (2.7G) 1mb DC - Php 3,640
Gigabyte MA78GM-S2H AMD780 - Php 4,390
Kingston 2GB 667 / 800 ddr2 - Php 1,060 x 4 = Php 4,240

Total Php 12,270.

make sure that this is the 2nd revision ..

1st revision has issues with temps .. i recommend you try this store first and ask ej for recommendations for a good htpc setup

momay · « **Reply #26 on:** Jan 14, 2009 at 03:33 PM »

the following 1080p rips are heavy cpu users even with my quite powerful system. Cpu usage range from 80-90% even with hardware acceleration and sometimes peaking to 100%.
1. Lord of the Rings Trilogy EE HDTV
2. Pirates of the Carribean Trilogy
3. Total Recall