Laggy Blu-ray/MKV playback. Too slow computer?

[H2SO4JB]

Hi!

Sorry for my bad English. I use a translation program.

I have a computer connected to my 55 "HD tv, that I watch movies through.
I have problems with playing Blu-ray and MKV files a long time. The movies
are a bit laggy. When I look at it when people talk, for example, I see no lag.
But in car chases and things like that when the pictures moving, the movie is
a bit laggy. I've always had this problem, even if the MKV file has the highest quality.
I also have the same problem if I play a blu-ray disc directly into my Blu-ray
drive in the computer.

I'm using "VLC Media Player" to play the MKV, and "PowerDVD" to play Blu-ray discs.
I have also tested other media players, but the movies are still laggy.

Of course, I have the latest drivers for all hardware and the connection between
the PC and the TV is HDMI.

Now to my question. Is it so easy that my computer is too slow? It is some years
old now. My computer looks like this:

CPU: INTEL CORE 2 DUO E7500 2.93GHZ 3MB 1066MHZ S-775
Motherboard: ASUS P5G41-M LX G41 775 ATX
RAM: CORSAIR 2GB DDR2 VS PC6400 800MHZ CL5 (1X2GB)
Graphic card: ASUS GEFORCE 9500GT 1GB GDDR2 PCI-E VGA/DVI/HDMI V2
Hard drive: SEAGATE BARRACUDA XT 2TB 7200RPM SATA/600 64MB
Blu-ray drive: LG CH08 BLU-RAY 8X BD-R BULK
Sound card: AUZENTECH X-PLOSION 7.1 CINEMA
Operating system: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

I buy in case a new computer but I want to make sure that the laggy movies
disappears with a faster computer first. What think you experts?

[oldfart13]

Sometimes it depends on the encode but you should have no lag if you have a newer quad core. Watched many encodes on my friend's 46" Samsung using their new quad core i5. Not much money to spend for no more problems....

[jagabo]

VLC's h.264 decoder is single threaded and will have trouble with 1080i/p video no matter how many cores you have (well, maybe if you overclock to 4Hz or more a single thread will work). Use a player with a multithreaded h.264 decoder, or that can use a system installed multithreaded h.264 decoder. Try MPCHC. Or update to a graphics cards with hardware h.264 decoding (but be aware that no h.264 settings are support by graphics cards' decoders, so some videos will still give you troubles).

[Alexstarfire]

If those don't work then SMPlayer is a good bet. I use it on my 900 Mhz Celeron laptop and can run 720p MKVs just fine. Not sure about Blu-Ray playback though, don't have any to test.

[guns1inger]

You could also try the free version of Splash and see how you go. Personally, I am finding each new release of VLC to be worse than the last. I use The KM Player for most things now, as VLC seems to be slow and buggy and nothing like it was back in the version 8 days.

[redwudz]

When I had my older computer, just upgrading the video card solved my HD stuttering playback problems. But I would definitely try MPC-HC first. If it doesn't do it, then look for a upgraded video card. If that doesn't do it, consider a quad core CPU, but you should be able to do it on a fast dual core.

[jagabo]

A quad core CPU won't help with VLC. It only uses one thread for h.264 decoding.

[usta]

I also use mainly MPC-HC. It takes care of the "heavy" video decoding with its DXVA support, giving CPU a lot of room to breath.

[jagabo]

I don't think the 9500GT supports DXVA. But MPCHC has a built in multithreaded h.264 software decoder.

[H2SO4JB]

I have now tried all media players that you have suggested above, but it does not help.
I have now decided to buy new motherboard, video card, RAM and CPU.

Do you have any suggestions which graphics card is best?

[jagabo]

Make sure you enabled the multithreaded h.264 decoder in MPCHC: View -> Options -> Internal Filters -> Transform Filters -> H264/AVC (FFmpeg). Enable it, then double click on it and set the Decoding Thread Number to 2.

[H2SO4JB]

Make sure you enabled the multithreaded h.264 decoder in MPCHC: View -> Options -> Internal Filters -> Transform Filters -> H264/AVC (FFmpeg). Enable it, then double click on it and set the Decoding Thread Number to 2.

Thanks! I have checked this setting, but the movie is still laggy.

So now to my question again:
Do you have any suggestions which graphics card is best?
The price does not matter.

[jagabo]

For GPU h.264, AVC, and MPEG 2 decoding you don't need a high end card. Most current cards that cost over US$60 have it now. More expensive cards may give you a little more headroom but you don't need to go much over US$100. The higher end cards are mostly for gamers. But beware, DXVA does not support all h.264 features. If a video uses those features it may not play properly on any card with GPU decoding.

Nvidia does have an edge in terms of support for GPU encoding -- if that's of interest to you. More encoding software supports Nvidia than ATI, currently. Otherwise you should think about what other requirements you may have. Do you need dual monitors (computer and HDTV, for example)? DVI and HDMI ports? A silent card for an HTPC?

Something else you should try with your current card: try different output devices in MPCHC. View -> Options -> Playback -> Output -> Direct Show Video. Try the different options there. You have to exit and restart MPCHC for the change to take effect.

[H2SO4JB]

I was going to buy this graphics card.
Does that graphic card support all I need?

http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=B6fn5EvgG3e6FLA6&templete=2

[jagabo]

Yes, but unless your a big gamer it's way overkill. The fans are probably so loud you won't care about the picture anymore.

[H2SO4JB]

Yes, but unless your a big gamer it's way overkill. The fans are probably so loud you won't care about the picture anymore.

Ok! I do not play at all, so that graphic card was perhaps a bit exaggerated.

I do not use dual monitors.
I just need an HDMI port.
The price does not matter.
Fan noise does not matter because it is built into a cabinet.
The only important thing is that the graphic card is the best today for playback of Blu-ray movies and MKV files.
What video card do you recommend? I like ASUS. Have ASUS something you can recommend?

I bought the graphic card tomorrow so a quick reply is appreciated.

[jagabo]

If you're enamored with Asus consider these cards:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%2050001315%20401...=1&name=NVIDIA

But remember what I told you: GPU/DXVA decoding doesn't support all h.264 features. If your file uses those features no GPU will play it properly. Blu-ray playback isn't too much of a problem for a dual core CPU or current GPUs. The problem arises when people rip the discs and reencode. They often crank up all the h.264 settings resulting in a file that isn't DXVA compatible.

[H2SO4JB]

If you're enamored with Asus consider these cards:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%2050001315%20401...=1&name=NVIDIA

But remember what I told you: GPU/DXVA decoding doesn't support all h.264 features. If your file uses those features no GPU will play it properly. Blu-ray playback isn't too much of a problem for a dual core CPU or current GPUs. The problem arises when people rip the discs and reencode. They often crank up all the h.264 settings resulting in a file that isn't DXVA compatible.

Thank you!
I found this in my local store:
http://www.komplett.se/k/ki.aspx?sku=602516
Is this right?

I convert all my MKV files myself. I never download any.
I use the programs "AnyDVD HD" and "DVDFab Blu-ray to mobile". Here you see all the settings I always use:
http://www.bohden.se/2.jpg
Are my files DXVA compatible then?

[jagabo]

Yes, the GTX 460 should be fine.

I can't tell if those settings are DXVA compatible. You need to dig deeper into the h.264 settings. Two of the important settings you need to watch out for are the maximum consecutive B frames and the number of reference frames. I don't remember exactly what the DXVA limits are but if you stick to 2 or 3 B frames, and 3 or 4 reference frames I think you'll be ok. Test a file when you get the new graphics card.

[H2SO4JB]

I have now ordered some new stuff:

Graphic card: ASUS GeForce GTX 460 768MB PhysX CUDA
CPU: Intel Core™ i7 Quad Processor i7-930
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R, X58
RAM: Corsair Dominator DHX+ DDR3 1600MHz 6GB

I get them tomorrow. You hear of me when I have tested with the new computer.

[usta]

I have now ordered some new stuff:

Graphic card: ASUS GeForce GTX 460 768MB PhysX CUDA
CPU: Intel Core™ i7 Quad Processor i7-930
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R, X58
RAM: Corsair Dominator DHX+ DDR3 1600MHz 6GB

I get them tomorrow. You hear of me when I have tested with the new computer.

LOL. That is definitely an overkill for just a video playback.

[RabidDog]

OMG Guy.. You could have solved all your problems by buying a WD HD TV media player £99 or less .. instant boot, low power and no fans. Send back all that crap you bought and get the WD. It does one job, and it does it well, video playback from a network or attached USB drive

[H2SO4JB]

LOL. That is definitely an overkill for just a video playback.

Whatever. Now I can be sure that the computer not is too slow in the future.

[Alexstarfire]

If none of the above suggestions helped then something is messing with your computer. You should easily be able to run 1080p/i video. The only thing you should really need to play MKV files is something like Haali Media Splitter. Most good video players have built-in codecs already.

I'd just make sure everything else about your computer is fine, because it sounds like it's not.

Hope your new parts work fine.

[H2SO4JB]

Hi again!

I now have my new stuff and assembled everything. I have formatted the hard drive and
installed Windows 7 64 bit again. I have installed the latest drivers for all hardware.

I have tried to play both MKV files and blu-ray discs directly, with MPC.
The movies are still laggy. Exactly the same lagg as before, neither more nor less.

I have now purchased new and replaced the following:
TV
HDMI cable
CPU
Motherboard
RAM
Graphic card
Chassis and power supply

The only thing I not changed is the blu-ray drive and the sound card.
Do I need to change any settings for the graphic card, in Windows or in MPC, to get it working?

Here you have some screenshots of my current settings:
http://www.bohden.se/settings



I found the program "MediaInfo".
Here is an example of a movie that is laggy for me.
Can you experts see nothing wrong with it?
http://www.bohden.se/settings/6.jpg

[jagabo]

Did you try the different output devices in MPCHC? Also try switching between the two h.264 decoders (ffmpeg, DXVA). And keep in mind you have to exit MPCHC and restart it before the new settings take place.

If you rip the contents of the Blu-ray disc to your hard drive and play from there you can rule out Blu-ray drive problems.

[H2SO4JB]

Did you try the different output devices in MPCHC? Also try switching between the two h.264 decoders (ffmpeg, DXVA). And keep in mind you have to exit MPCHC and restart it before the new settings take place.

If you rip the contents of the Blu-ray disc to your hard drive and play from there you can rule out Blu-ray drive problems.

Yes, I have tried all. Nothing helps.
And yes, I know that I have to restart "MPCHC" after each change.

I have a Blu-ray rip of the movie "Law Abiding Citizen". I ripped
it with "AnyDVD HD". When I play it in either "MPCHC" or "PowerDVD" so
it is laggy. Exactly as much as laggy after I convert it to MKV.
Strangely, if I convert the MKV to the 720 resolution so it's
laggy anyway. It seems that the resolution does not matter.
I also feel that some DVD iso is laggy.

I give up. There is no more to testing, I think. I just have to live
with laggy movies.

[jagabo]

What exactly do you mean by "laggy"?

[H2SO4JB]

What exactly do you mean by "laggy"?

Image choppy when the image moves.
Just like when playing a heavy game with a slow computer.

[jagabo]

Only on some shots or all motion shots?