|
titaniumone posted:Okay, people were correct and I've confirmed the Mini will NOT handle high-bitrate x264 streams. Where did you confirm it, and what's your threshold for "high-bitrate"? I ask because I just took the plunge with a Mini, and I'm curious how hard I'm going to be able to push it. I only plan on going for 720p max, and even then, not that much stuff. Most stuff I use it to play will be SD.
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2007 05:14
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 9, 2024 16:53 |
|
|
I've recently cobbled together an HTPC out of old parts I have lying around. It's a 3.0GHz P4 with 1GB of RAM (4x256) and a 128MB GeForce FX 5200. When I go to play back 720p h264 files, I get stuttering playback even though my processor usage is only at about 50 - 75%. What do you guys think the problem might be? Could it be that the video card is complete crap or is there something else I might be missing? I realize the computer is going to struggle with 1080p, but it should be solid enough to handle 720p.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2007 20:18
|
|
|
OldSenileGuy posted:Where did you confirm it, and what's your threshold for "high-bitrate"? >6500kbps x264 video ate poo poo on the Mini, which isn't even a ridiculously high bitrate, really.
|
|
#
?
Jul 9, 2007 21:54
|
|
|
So apparently Shuttle, http://us.shuttle.com/G5_3300m.aspx, and HP, http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2007/05/hp_goes_into_dualformat_territory.html (not sure about this one...) are selling dual format drives for HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. Where are they getting these drives?
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2007 02:43
|
|
|
I posted this in SH/SC, but I realize it may get more information here. I plan on hooking up my HTPC to Logitech Z-5500 speakers. The Z5500's have optical spdif and 3-minijack in. I was originally planning on getting a cheapo (ie Chaintech $25) soundcard with optical out. It is my understanding that if I'm playing something with digital audio (like AC3 audio in a .mkv file), the audio will be passed through the soundcard untouched to the Z-5500's for them to do the decoding and playing. I'm wondering though, 1) is this correct? Will that work fine, and will it not matter if it's a $2 soundcard or a $200 soundcard, since the speakers will be doing the decoding? 2) what happens when the audio isn't something the Z-5500's can process? For example, if I start playing Counterstrike, or use Winamp, or Windows makes a noise -- what will happen then? Will the soundcard process the audio and push it out over spdif, or will I get no sound at all? If I won't get sound in the latter case, how do I make sure I get sound all the time? I'd really like to be able to use the optical connection so that I get proper surround sound. I'm fairly certain the Z-5500's can do all the processing correctly on DTS and DDL and all those other loving Dolby acronyms. Lastly, I'd REALLY like, when the source isn't some Dolby crap (and is therefore just plain-old stereo) to be able to set the Z-5500's to Prologic II, so that the source is expanded into 5.1. When the Z-5500's receive any kind of Dolby signal, you can't set the type of expansion to do.. So I'm thinking that if I have the soundcard set to always output DTS or something, when I start playing something in stereo, I won't be able to tell the speakers to expand it -- I'd have to rely on my cheapo soundcard. So, what's the ideal solution to this so everything "just works"?
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2007 03:28
|
|
|
OldSenileGuy posted:Where did you confirm it, and what's your threshold for "high-bitrate"? You should be able to handle 720p stuff fine, and any VC-1 stuff up to 1080p no problem. It's just the .264 high end discs are really intensive. A friend of mine was overclocking a Core 2 Duo to ~3Ghz and was still running 50% usage on both cores for some of the higher-end bitrate blurays.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2007 13:50
|
|
|
I'm turning an old HP Pavilion 7905 (1.6 GHz, 512MB PC133 RAM, Riva TNT) into an HTPC box. Sorry this post became longer than I thought to adequately describe my problem. OS Question: Does the XP EULA or Vista EULA allow installation onto 2 computers for once license if you own both and they're both in one site? I don't mind phone activiation. Because I lack a better OS right now, it's running Win2k. If my school offered XP MCE I'd put that on there, but they only offer pro and vista ultimate. Pro is on my desktop right now and I really don't think the HTPC is capable of running Vista. I might upgrade my desktop to Vista and put XP Pro on the HTPC if it comes down to it, though Widescreen Question: I have a 40" Samsung LN-S4041D 720p LCD TV. If I run the VGA D-sub output to it, it will display 640x480, 800x600, and 1024x768 no problem. I can even use the TV to convert that to 16:9 when playing fullscreen content. However, widescreen content coming from the PC is letterboxed in 4:3 mode, and the conversion to 16:9 just makes the letterboxing worse. But according to the manual, the only widescreen resolution the monitor supports is 1360x768 (which is clsoe to its native res of 1366x768). If it supported 1280x720 I'd been in luck, cuz that's all the crappy Riva TNT on there can do. 1280x720 just blanks the display and gives a "Not supported" error from the TV, though a CRT can show it fine. I don't mind the letterboxing, but I'd love to be able to run the PC in the widescreen resolutions that the TV supports so the 4:3 content can be black-barred (and blown up) if necessary, and so 16:9 content fills the screen properly. The manual says the TV cannot accept PC output over its HDMI connection, so it looks like getting a DVI video card and an DVI->HDMI adapter is out of the question (or is there a workaround)? I guess what I'm looking for is a cheap video card that can do 1360x768 on a D-sub, unless someone else has a better suggestion. The video card does not need to be capable of gaming or HD content - I've got a more powerful desktop for gaming, and the system is just too sluggish to support 720p anyway. But the LCD just shows up as a "plug and play monitor" in device manager. Is there a way to coax it into believing it's a widescreen and "unlocking" 1360x768? Or are there any cards out there that provide HD-capable component out, since I can't use the DVI/HDMI connection? I wouldn't mind spending a little extra money for that so I could keep the card for futureproof use in a later, more powerful computer. SpelledBackwards fucked around with this message at 18:56 on Jul 10, 2007 |
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2007 17:52
|
|
|
SpelledBackwards posted:The manual says the TV cannot accept PC output over its HDMI connection, so it looks like getting a DVI video card and an DVI->HDMI adapter is out of the question (or is there a workaround)? I wouldn't take the manufacturer at their word. I've heard of several manuals having similar warning about not working with dvi/hdmi from a computer. But, AFAICT, the dvi and hdmi signals are pin compatible and your TV has no way to know what is actually sending it a signal. So, it'd probably worth your time to try out one of the cheap dvi>hdmi adaptor cables from monoprice. Aside from that many of the current generation nvidia cards support component HD output. Specifically the 8500/8600 series cards and the 6150e integrated chipset. I'd opt for the 8500 just for the purevideo hd hardware x.264/vc-1/mpeg2 decoding. However I /think/ purevideo hd drivers might be vista specific. The 6150e has hardware mpeg2 decoding with the nvidia purevideo (not hd) mpeg decoder driver. which should get you up and running under XP.
|
|
#
?
Jul 10, 2007 20:54
|
|
|
Wiring question I'll most likely be getting a this Magnavox 32" at the end of the month, and will be using my current PC to handle media. Thing is, the PC is about 20 feet away from where the TV will be and there's no way to change that. I was wondering what the best way to get audio (just plain ol' two-channel) and video (720p) to my TV. PC: HDTV Component out Single link/Dual link DVI (both in use, and I'd like to keep it that way) Regular audio outputs and SPDIF out TV: HDMI x 2, VGA, component x 2, s-video x 2 RCA, spdif My amateur guess would be to grab a audio + component cable from monoprice and use the hdtv out on my video card (7600GT btw) and a 3.5 - RCA splitter. If there anything wrong with this? Will I get massively poo poo quality from a 20 foot component? Do I need a certain type of component (research tells me no, but companies calling poo poo "HD" for no reason is confusing). Thanks!
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2007 00:42
|
|
|
dfn_doe posted:I wouldn't take the manufacturer at their word. I've heard of several manuals having similar warning about not working with dvi/hdmi from a computer. But, AFAICT, the dvi and hdmi signals are pin compatible and your TV has no way to know what is actually sending it a signal. So, it'd probably worth your time to try out one of the cheap dvi>hdmi adaptor cables from monoprice. Aside from that many of the current generation nvidia cards support component HD output. Specifically the 8500/8600 series cards and the 6150e integrated chipset. I'd opt for the 8500 just for the purevideo hd hardware x.264/vc-1/mpeg2 decoding. However I /think/ purevideo hd drivers might be vista specific. The 6150e has hardware mpeg2 decoding with the nvidia purevideo (not hd) mpeg decoder driver. which should get you up and running under XP. And I really don't want to drop the money for an 8500-series card for two reasons: it would mean the HTPC would have a better graphics card than my desktop gaming computer (7900 GS from woot), and since this old machine only has AGP, I'd have to upgrade everything at that point I'd just be better off building an all-new quieter system. I think I'll just stick with what I have and be happy with the fact that I don't have to spend anymore money on this thing beside the BTC wireless keyboard/mouse combo unit I bought. I even returned the TV tuner card I had because I'm not convinced I really need PVR capabilities that badly, at least not yet. Edit: My 7900 GS has an annoying habit of running the fan at full blast when it's doing 3D games, running video acceleration for video playback, or when it's not directly under driver control (during POST and boot-up before hitting the login screen). Do all newer generation cards do this? If so, that's really gotta put a damper on the home theater atmosphere whenever you load a video and the thing turns into a jet engine on you SpelledBackwards fucked around with this message at 19:52 on Jul 13, 2007 |
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2007 19:49
|
|
|
SpelledBackwards posted:And I really don't want to drop the money for an 8500-series card for two reasons: it would mean the HTPC would have a better graphics card than my desktop gaming computer (7900 GS from woot), and since this old machine only has AGP, I'd have to upgrade everything at that point I'd just be better off building an all-new quieter system.
|
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2007 22:10
|
|
|
I think this was posted before, but search didn't turn it up for some reason. I'm looking at ATSC TV Tuners. It looks like this one is pretty good. http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16815260007 Though I remember reading that ATSC tuners had trouble with software or something. Will this one be able let me watch HDTV (720p at least) on my computer screen? Will I be able to record off of it? What programs do people use to do both of the following?
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2007 01:15
|
|
|
Can anyone post successful codec setups they've used with Vista Media Center? I recently ran into some trouble with codecs and ended up with 720p content that stuttered. The problems stemmed from trying some patch I found to get matroska containers to play in media center without changing the ending to avi. So my two problems are getting .mkv files to work in Vista Media Center and at the same time trying to get media center to harness my nVidia 8500. When I bought the parts for this HTPC I assumed I'd be able to play 720p flawlessly and possibly 1080p but that has not been the case. For reference I'm running an AMD Windsor 3800, an nVidia 8500GT and two gigs of RAM on an nForce 4 motherboard. I've read through the thread and have seen the question thrown out multiple times but I haven't seen it clearly answered. Excuse me if I missed something blatantly obvious, I know it's annoying. edit: matroska, not mastroka Kepp fucked around with this message at 04:17 on Jul 16, 2007 |
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2007 04:14
|
|
|
Kepp posted:Can anyone post successful codec setups they've used with Vista Media Center? I recently ran into some trouble with codecs and ended up with 720p content that stuttered. The problems stemmed from trying some patch I found to get matroska containers to play in media center without changing the ending to avi. What was this patch that you tried to get Media Center to recognize .mkv files? If I remember correctly, you only need a registry hack to make Windows Media Player recognize .mkv as a playable type, which in turn will make it recogized by Media Center.
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2007 16:44
|
|
|
kid sinister posted:What was this patch that you tried to get Media Center to recognize .mkv files? If I remember correctly, you only need a registry hack to make Windows Media Player recognize .mkv as a playable type, which in turn will make it recogized by Media Center. Yeah, that's what happened. I think something happened a few days afterward where MC wouldn't play .avi files so I freaked out and installed DefilerPak over CCCP and screwed myself.
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2007 22:49
|
|
|
I'm current using Mediaportal and think it's pretty neat, are there any reasons though that I should be using Windows MCE or Vista instead?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2007 02:59
|
|
|
Kepp posted:Yeah, that's what happened. I think something happened a few days afterward where MC wouldn't play .avi files so I freaked out and installed DefilerPak over CCCP and screwed myself. I'd leave the registry hack in place, as that itself only enables MC to recognize .mkv files. Try uninstalling ALL of your codec packs, then installing the ones you want.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2007 18:48
|
|
|
kid sinister posted:I'd leave the registry hack in place, as that itself only enables MC to recognize .mkv files. Try uninstalling ALL of your codec packs, then installing the ones you want. I already flattened it. I guess I was trying to get a feel for whether or not a definitive setup exists yet for the nVidia PureVideo video cards.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2007 22:30
|
|
|
Kepp posted:I already flattened it. I guess I was trying to get a feel for whether or not a definitive setup exists yet for the nVidia PureVideo video cards. Stupid nVidia and their naming conventions are really at fault here. "PureVideo" is the name of their commercial (read: costs money) mpeg decoder software codec; "PureVideo HD" is the name of their hardware decoding engine. To add to the confusion, on some older nvidia hardware using the purevideo software codec would also enable some limited mpeg2 hardware acceleration features (xvmc) AND new purevideo hd capable cards are not all created equally, the 8600 and 8500 series cards support more codecs in their hardware decoding engine than the more expensive and "higher end" 8800 series cards. Furthermore, the nVidia drivers that allow purevideo hd hardware acceleration only work on vista AND need to be coupled with a capable software directshow filter AND VMR9 OR Enhanced rendering engine. The most popular purevideo hd capable directshow filters AFAICT are the ones made by cyberlink which come bundled with the *NEWEST* powerdvd 7.3 Ultra build. Long story short. Install vista, install newest nVidia drivers, install powerdvd 7.3 ultra, install halii splitter. Set cyberlink mpeg, cyberlink x264, and cyberlink vc-1 directshow filters as the default filters for their respective codecs in whichever software you are going to use. Set that software to use VMR9 or "3D accelerated" as the display renderer. Set "enable hardware acceleration" in the properties for all the cyberlink filters. Play your media. YMMV You may need to install additional directshow filters to support whatever audi stream is muxed with your video. DO NOT INSTALL ANY "CODEC PACKS"! If you suspect something isn't working correctly install Microsoft's graphedit software and drag the media in question into the graphedit window. You will see a block diagram of the default filter stack that is used to demux, decode, post proccess, and render the file. You can then change, add, or delete individual elements. And test playback directly through directshow without having to muck with any globbed on UI. Now graphedit is great for troubleshooting, however it has one serious drawback, it won't save your graph into anything usable for playback in a "real" directshow media player. For that you are going to have to delve into the registry and changed the "merit" of the different filters to alter the priority in which windows (and other applications) will utilize them. This used to be something which required editing hex values and knowing a bit more windows-fu than most average people have. However, now you can use programs like radlight filter manager and filmerit to easily change filter merit values as well as fully unregister/register filters entirely. edit: added info on graph edit edit2: added info on editing filter merits. dfn_doe fucked around with this message at 23:20 on Jul 18, 2007 |
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2007 23:07
|
|
|
dfn_doe posted:Stuff Thank you so much, I'm going to do this now.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2007 23:49
|
|
|
m3jsh posted:I'm current using Mediaportal and think it's pretty neat, are there any reasons though that I should be using Windows MCE or Vista instead? Not really. As long as Mediaportal runs solidly for you I would stick with it, but be sure to backup this install if you decide to upgrade.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2007 18:21
|
|
|
dfn_doe posted:That is perhaps the absolute best description/guide I've ever seen so far. I know most of this already, but thanks for putting up in one place. I had to read about 200 different AVS threads to get to where I am now. One question, what's the easiest way to get the most current version of GraphEdit?
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2007 18:52
|
|
|
Crackbone posted:That is perhaps the absolute best description/guide I've ever seen so far. I know most of this already, but thanks for putting up in one place. I had to read about 200 different AVS threads to get to where I am now. Well, you can either download the entire directx sdk from MS, or you can try your luck searching for repackaged copies on google. Just make sure you use some common sense and virus check whatever repacked copy you get if you decide on that route.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2007 19:01
|
|
|
What's going on with these HD DVD and Blu Ray drives? Why are HD-DVD only external, and why can't I buy a combo HD DVD / Blu-Ray drive that some PC manufacturers (Shuttle) are advertising in their new computers?
Treytor fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Jul 19, 2007 |
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2007 20:23
|
|
|
Wow, props to dfn_doe for that well written explanation. I hope ATI's offerings don't have as much hassle to deal with.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2007 21:15
|
|
|
Just wanted to report back that 1080p content now renders flawlessly. Amazing guide.
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2007 03:46
|
|
|
So I'm not sure if this is exactly an HTPC question, but my desktop PC is located in my living room approximately 10 feet away from where I plan on setting up a TV and eventually an audio system. Since I just moved into this apartment, I'm pretty sure I can't run cable under the carpet so I'm left with running it up the wall, across the ceiling and down to my TV, a distance of about 30'. Ideally this would be as unsightly as possible with as few cables as possible. As I understand it, HDMI can transmit both audio and video at medium-to-long distances. Are there any good PC cards that can output HDMI audio & video? I figure I'll have to buy another card anyways, because I want the ability to choose between output to my existing monitor/speakers or output to my TV/audio system. What is the best setup for doing this?
|
|
#
?
Jul 21, 2007 21:38
|
|
|
ad infinitum posted:So I'm not sure if this is exactly an HTPC question, but my desktop PC is located in my living room approximately 10 feet away from where I plan on setting up a TV and eventually an audio system. Since I just moved into this apartment, I'm pretty sure I can't run cable under the carpet so I'm left with running it up the wall, across the ceiling and down to my TV, a distance of about 30'. There are not many HDMI cards out right now but all newer cards will have a DVI out and it is a fairly simple matter to adapt a DVI out to HDMI and my understanding is that handshake problems are rare.
|
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2007 01:29
|
|
|
furushotakeru posted:There are not many HDMI cards out right now but all newer cards will have a DVI out and it is a fairly simple matter to adapt a DVI out to HDMI and my understanding is that handshake problems are rare. But this would just transmit video right? Ideally I'd like a connection that carries both HD video and audio.
|
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2007 17:03
|
|
|
I have a real simple follow-up question to the HD nVidia guide. Which codec should I install to handle normal divx files? I'm asking mainly because I'm afraid that left to my own devices I'm going to kill the setup. Also wanted to add that the MyMovies plugin for MC is pretty awesome in that it detects PowerDVD and allows you to let it handle playback.
|
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2007 19:07
|
|
|
Anyone checked out the new DirectX version of GB-PVR? Although not open source it is free, so I admire that the owner dared say his product is 1.0 quality. I love Mediaportal but I don't think they'll ever stick their necks out that far.
|
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2007 21:33
|
|
|
Sam Fujiyama posted:Anyone checked out the new DirectX version of GB-PVR? Although not open source it is free, so I admire that the owner dared say his product is 1.0 quality. GBPVR is rock solid in its old form, and a great application for what it is. The problem with it to me is it is very PVR oriented, and as such its built in media functionality sucks.
|
|
#
?
Jul 23, 2007 04:40
|
|
|
help! i'm relatively clueless when it comes to hardware, so i need to know whether this mobo/cpu and video card combo will be able handle 1080p content flawlessly. i just purchased a 1080p TV and all my hardware is hopelessly out of date. i was previously using it for 720p (which it played without trouble) but i'm getting stuttering and skipping with the majority of 1080p videos i try. anyways, here's what i'm thinking about : Asus A8N-SLI SE NVIDIA Socket 939 ATX Motherboard and an AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ 2.0GHz Dual-Core PC OEM Processor with EVGA GeForce 8600 GT Superclocked / 256MB DDR3 / SLI Ready / PCI Express / Dual DVI / HDTV / Video Card so, will this handle 1080p content flawlessly? thanks in advance! rolaids fucked around with this message at 00:12 on Jul 25, 2007 |
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2007 23:56
|
|
|
rolaids posted:i'm getting stuttering and skipping with the majority of 1080p videos Any of the 8500/8600 nvidia cards will playback 1080p content smoothly if the source is one of the supported accelerated codecs. I haven't tried it with anything slower than my dual core amd (2.2Ghz), but it doesn't even run the proc at full clock speed when playing back 1080p.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2007 00:06
|
|
|
all the stuff i watch now is 720p x264; everything i WANT to watch is 1080p x264.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2007 00:10
|
|
|
Does dual/quad/single core matter that much for 1080p playback? My understanding of this issue is very limited because I have never owned a multi core processor machine, but wouldn't the computer only be able to dedicate one logical processor to video playback even if it had two or four?
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2007 00:47
|
|
|
furushotakeru posted:Does dual/quad/single core matter that much for 1080p playback? My understanding of this issue is very limited because I have never owned a multi core processor machine, but wouldn't the computer only be able to dedicate one logical processor to video playback even if it had two or four? It depends on the software used for decoding. I'm not a computer scientist nor a developer, but some tasks are more easily multi threaded than others; I figure if encoding can take advantage of multiple cores than decoding should be able to as well. The big guaranteed benefit is that when you are using one core to do the decoding you can use the other core for other tasks. Hence a multicore system MAY have better interactive usability while being used for a single large processing task. Really the whole better/worse argument is moot when you offload the decoding onto your GPU. Then you can use your CPU/s for whatever you want without getting stutters until you hit another bottle neck (disk io is a big one on HD video).
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2007 01:05
|
|
|
furushotakeru posted:Does dual/quad/single core matter that much for 1080p playback? My understanding of this issue is very limited because I have never owned a multi core processor machine, but wouldn't the computer only be able to dedicate one logical processor to video playback even if it had two or four? This is gonna be kinda lengthy, but I hope it provides you the info you need. First, 1080p refers to the resolution of the video. There are different codecs (video formats) which may be used for that 1080p video. Some codecs (formats) are more difficult to decode than others. For example, if the 1080p video is moeg2 (the same formats used on dvds), the video is relatively easy to decode and any dual core processor should be able to decode it no problem and a good single core should be able to as well. h264 or x264 on the other hand is much much much more difficult to decode. Single core processors don't stand a chance. My T2500 (2 Ghz Core Duo) can play back 1080p h264 or x264 fine and so should most dual cores. Playing an 1080p x264 or h264 file can use around 50% of my T2500 processor. There are other options available. ATI has 2 new graphics cards which are PERFECT for a HTPC. The ATI Radeon HD 2400 and the ATI Radeon HD 2600 (note: there are other versions available as well) hardware accelerate mpeg2, h264 (as well as x264), and VC-1. These 3 formats make up almost all 1080p video available (those codecs are also used on HD DVDs and Blu Ray discs). Hardware accelerate means that the graphics card decodes the video instead of the CPU. The result of these cards are that you can play 1080p video on a mediocre single core processor with between 5-20% CPU usage. THIS IS HUGE!. Normally a slow single core processor couldn't even play 720p. And these graphics cards are very cheap for a value (important note: there are better cards for gaming in the same price range, if you are a heavy gamer as well, these cards probably aren't for you). Another important note is there are many decoders available for different codecs. For h264 and x264 you can use ffdshow, cyberlink, or CoreAVC. CoreAVC is by far the fastest (meaning it uses less CPU than the rest, allowing 1080p files to be played on slower computers). CoreAVC isn't free though  . Another note: CoreAVC does cut corners (which is why it is so fast) on decoding, so ffdshow has better video quality. MPC (media player classic) is the best software to use to play back 1080p files (once you have the correct codecs)So, basically, if you don't have the graphics cards I mentioned, you are gonna want a dual core processor. quote:(disk io is a big one on HD video) If you have any other questions, or want me to clarify something, just post back. AraqirG fucked around with this message at 06:28 on Jul 25, 2007 |
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2007 06:23
|
|
|
AraqirG posted:*in response to disk IO being a bottle neck* I would normally agree, when you are referring to single stream playback. However on my HTPC I might be recording 2 analog cable feeds, 2 digital cable feeds, and 2 atsc feeds while at the same time playing back a live buffered feed or pre recorded content from anyone of those sources. This can definitely lead to disk IO being the next bottle neck after processing. Heck my original comment I was actually intending it to be a reference to how disk IO would become a bottle neck while using your excess processor for other tasks; specifically I often have one or more torrents active along side my standard HTPC apps (Beyond TV, itunes, powerdvd, etc). It only takes a few of those apps working in concert to get the disks really thrashing. I've actually put my main OS and pagefile on a separate 80gb 7200rpm drive with a 16MB cache to avoid these exact situations.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2007 09:20
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 9, 2024 16:53 |
|
|
furushotakeru posted:Does dual/quad/single core matter that much for 1080p playback? My understanding of this issue is very limited because I have never owned a multi core processor machine, but wouldn't the computer only be able to dedicate one logical processor to video playback even if it had two or four? Or an even shorter version: A Radeon2400/2600 or Geforce 8500/8600 with proper software (Specifically PowerDVD Ultra) can playback 1080p stuff flawlessly, rendering the processor irrelevant. If you're using any other video cards, you'll need a high end core 2 duo to handle all 1080p sources reliably. Crackbone fucked around with this message at 13:48 on Jul 25, 2007 |
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2007 13:25
|
|