Old computers can't perform! Can't play HD files.

[uehara]

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..

[aedipuss]

download the 360p or 480p versions instead. the cpu's are just too old and slow.

[lowellriggsiam]

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.

[uehara]

@aedipuss: yeah i figured as much.

@lowellriggsiam: I will try that out now and tell you what happens.

[uehara]

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!

[jagabo]

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.

[lowellriggsiam]

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.

[fritzi93]

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.

[Nelson37]

Combine the Ram from the two, put the 5200 card in the faster PC, try MPCHC, and you might get close.

[uehara]

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.

[MOVIEGEEK]

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