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  1. Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Spain
    Search Comp PM
    Hello.

    What program/settings is the best option to play high quality avi or mkv videos on an old computer (with Windows 7)?
    Now I'm using a old laptop. Potplayer, VLC or mediaplayer work well with movies up to 1000kbps.
    But if I try to play anything aboce this or 720p all I get is image problems, interruptions, pixelation and desynchronization, no matter the settings I use (even with lav filters...)

    Is there any program able to play 1080p movies in a old computer?
    I don't mind not having special effects, perfect image... only need to get a lower resolution image without problems
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  2. The older and slower the computer, the less likely it can play the HD content of video. Laptops in particular may have trouble because the hardware is usually less compatible with HD content. It might just be that "old laptop" is not going to be up to the task. Typically the graphics (GPU) is lacking but even the CPU could add to the problem. Describe the specs of the system besides Windows 7.
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  3. Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Spain
    Search Comp PM
    OK, thanks, I'll try MPC-HC. I'm also trying SMplayer. It has an option to skip some frames to achieve better sync.
    Last edited by skan; 12th Sep 2014 at 08:33.
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  4. DECEASED
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Heaven
    Search Comp PM
    MPlayer --- the command-line application itself, without any GUI(s).
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  5. Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Nova Scotia, Canada
    Search Comp PM
    I don't have the patience to use Mplayer in CLI mode. But I use SMplayer all the time ... it's actually just a GUI front end for mplayer ... and the performance is better than any other one I've used. Visually it's just obviously better.

    You may want to try drop frames or even hard frame drop if it's really bad. Also set the local file stream cache to 8192Kb. And where you put in mplayer arguments put this in:

    -cache-min 30

    which will make the buffer 30% full before starting playback.

    This stuff makes a big difference. But if the machine's really slow don't expect miracles. There's no point in trying to play 1080p videos at lower resolution. The downsampling involved has too much cpu overhead. But without knowing machine specs it's hard to really say in general.
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  6. DECEASED
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Heaven
    Search Comp PM
    Well, I recommended the standalone CLI .exe, only because the Mplayer GUIs are resource hogs.

    If your computer is fast enough to deal with them, that's a different subject already.
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