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  1. Member
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    Hello all. HUGE newbie here.. just to warn you.
    I searched all over these forums for the right topic to help me but couldn't find anything that could help this issue.
    First of all I have two older computers that I feel are completely hopeless hardware wise in playing hd 720p mp4 files that I downloaded from youtube.

    My computer specs are:
    Pentium 4 CPU 1500 mhz
    1.50 ghz 256 mb of ram
    My video card is a crappy old nvidia riva tnt2 model 64.
    The other computer is almost the same but just a little less in ghz. It has a nvidia geforce fx 5200.

    Yes I know. Super weak OLD computers...
    I have ffdshow, vlc, haali media splitter, and thats pretty much about it installed on both computers.. what else am I missing that could possibly help me?

    Here is the information of the video file grabbed with MediaInfo:

    General
    Complete name : C:\Documents and Settings\***\My Documents\Downloads\video.mp4
    Format : MPEG-4
    Format profile : Base Media / Version 2
    Codec ID : mp42
    File size : 27.4 MiB
    Duration : 1mn 43s
    Overall bit rate : 2 223 Kbps
    Encoded date : UTC 2009-10-20 18:58:40
    Tagged date : UTC 2009-10-20 18:58:40
    gsst : 0
    gstd : 103885
    gssd : B4A7DD343HH

    Video
    ID : 2
    Format : AVC
    Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
    Format profile : High@L3.1
    Format settings, CABAC : Yes
    Format settings, ReFrames : 3 frames
    Codec ID : avc1
    Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
    Duration : 1mn 43s
    Bit rate mode : Variable
    Bit rate : 2 095 Kbps
    Maximum bit rate : 12.8 Mbps
    Width : 1 280 pixels
    Height : 720 pixels
    Display aspect ratio : 16:9
    Frame rate mode : Constant
    Frame rate : 29.970 fps
    Resolution : 8 bits
    Colorimetry : 4:2:0
    Scan type : Progressive
    Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.076
    Stream size : 25.8 MiB (94%)
    Title : (C) 2007 Google Inc. v08.13.2007.
    Encoded date : UTC 2009-10-20 18:58:40
    Tagged date : UTC 2009-10-20 18:58:41

    Audio
    ID : 1
    Format : AAC
    Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
    Format version : Version 4
    Format profile : LC
    Format settings, SBR : No
    Codec ID : 40
    Duration : 1mn 43s
    Bit rate mode : Variable
    Bit rate : 125 Kbps
    Maximum bit rate : 225 Kbps
    Channel(s) : 2 channels
    Channel positions : L R
    Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz
    Stream size : 1.55 MiB (6%)
    Title : (C) 2007 Google Inc. v08.13.2007.
    Encoded date : UTC 2009-10-20 18:58:40
    Tagged date : UTC 2009-10-20 18:58:41

    VLC tries to play it.. extremely choppy. Media Player Classic plays it better than VLC but like in slow motion and with both, the audio is out of sync.
    If any one could give me any ideas or suggestions on how to get HD 720p files up and running on my computer that'd be awesome. Does anyone think that installing Windows 7 help any? *sigh* old computers are useless..
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  2. aBigMeanie aedipuss's Avatar
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    download the 360p or 480p versions instead. the cpu's are just too old and slow.
    --
    "a lot of people are better dead" - prisoner KSC2-303
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  3. Member
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    Try installing both quicktime and divx in your pc and reboot. Once your computer comes back up try playing it in either divx player, or quicktime.
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  4. Member
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    @aedipuss: yeah i figured as much.

    @lowellriggsiam: I will try that out now and tell you what happens.
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  5. Member
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    Originally Posted by lowellriggsiam View Post
    Try installing both quicktime and divx in your pc and reboot. Once your computer comes back up try playing it in either divx player, or quicktime.
    It worked somewhat. Still very slow though... I guess I'll just have to wait till I'll be able to get a better computer after all.
    I'm not sure there is anything else that an be done.. so thanks for trying to help!
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  6. If you get a graphics card with hardware h.264 decoding you can probably play that file with the rest of your equipment. Such cards start around US$50 these days. Also consider a media player like the Western Digital HDTV Live.

    Also try a player like MPCHC or VLC. Quicktime Player is the worst.
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  7. Member
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    What I am seeing is that you have a decent, yet outdated, processor with very little memory that would be next to add more memory, meanwhile if there is an update for direct x I'd update that and your video card drivers go for it.
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  8. You need a DXVA capable video card and a player that can take advantage of DXVA, i.e. MPCHC.

    A year ago you could do it for as low as ~$20 bucks. (When did the prices go up? ).

    Here's one that will work, essentially the same as the one in my HTPC:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103043

    Under $40 bucks, and it's the minimum necessary to do the job. And assuming you have a PCIe slot available on the mobo.

    You gotta have more memory, at least 512mb, for the above to work. And it's quite possible your PSU won't have enough wattage with the addition of the GPU.

    Even assuming all the above, your CPU is a question mark, borderline at best. Playback of 720p probably possible, but I don't think 1080p. I'd just build a new rig if I were you. Good luck.
    Last edited by fritzi93; 17th Feb 2010 at 23:52.
    Pull! Bang! Darn!
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  9. Combine the Ram from the two, put the 5200 card in the faster PC, try MPCHC, and you might get close.
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  10. Member
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    Wow! thank you all for your recommendations! I'll definitely take your guy's advice and see what I can do. I actually thought of combining the computers to see what is possible.. but I didn't think it would work..

    Yeah.. my CPU is pathetic. lol We'll see what happens.. can't expect much from an 11 yr old computer.
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  11. Yeah you need better videocards but the problem is you have AGP and PCI ports on your motherboard, you need something like this:
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102814
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