Old computer-Can I use it to play video files on my HD TV? How? (HDMI/Wifi)

[Szabo2]

Hello there.

I have an old computer here, the specs are: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (2.66GHz, 1333MHz FSB) , 2GB of DDR3 (I could double that if needed), Integrated Intel G41 VGA. I also have a somewhat old TV (not smart) and I'd like to somehow use the PC to play stuff on TV, mostly movies and series.

There are 3 options I could think of:

1-Buy a cheap VGA (GT210/9500GT) with HDMI output and use the TV as a monitor. That would be a good solution, although I'd need a quite long HDMI cable (7m), but that shouldn't be a problem afaik because of the digital nature of data transmission. I don't know if a cheapo VGA is powerful enough though, and obviously, I'd need at least the mouse and the interface is going to be a little inadequate, but that's very minor for me.

2-Use something like Chromecast (the PC runs Windows 7 home premium 32-bit, so, no remote display for me). The problem with this setup is obviously a overhead on my home wireless network system, and I read bad reviews about Chromecast, saying it has stutters when sharing the whole screen playing a video (I'd like to use MPCHC since it's quite performant or PotPlayer which is the one I use on my main PC and I like it very much), and also, it seems you have to run Chrome what I really wouldn't like to. And there's also the fact I don't know if the PC is powerful enough.

3-Use something like a raspberry pi with an USD HD with all my stuff in it, however, I also read bad things about the pi not being able to play some codecs properly and there's a lack of information. I don't care about installing linux on it, but I've worked with ARM processors in the past and I know the are very underpowered compared to x86 processors. I could make a program to rsync the data from my main computer in the HDD of the raspberry when it's not playing videos, so, there's no problem with wireless transfer on-the-fly not overhead, so all the processing power could be used to interact with the graphics chip and decode audio.

I would like something that I can use a PC (pi is a pc imho) because all those smart TVs and devices like blu-ray players, sooner or later they won't play a video file because the codecs gets outdated and the technology moves on, so they get obsolete very fast, a PC on the other hand never gets obsolete in terms of software... as long as the hw is capable you're good to go, and that's something I want to take advantage of. No matter if you're playing h264 level 1 or 5, ou can always play it as long as your video player is updated (and is decent :P).

Another thing to note is the processor has some crazy overclock capabilities, reaching easily 4GHz (although not with the current RAM). I'd like to run it at stock frequency, but if there's no other way I can overclock it.

Thank you.

[redwudz]

Or you could pick up a used WDTV box on Ebay or similar and use that as a much simpler solution. Then you just need a USB hard drive for storage.

[hello_hello]

I have an old computer here, the specs are: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (2.66GHz, 1333MHz FSB) , 2GB of DDR3 (I could double that if needed), Integrated Intel G41 VGA. I also have a somewhat old TV (not smart) and I'd like to somehow use the PC to play stuff on TV, mostly movies and series.

That's pretty much the PC I use as a media player. Same CPU, although I have it running at 3.2Ghz as I still use it to convert the odd video and it's an easy over-clock. No voltage adjustment required. Even at stock speed it'll decode 1080p h264 video though (it managed to decode a 4k h264 sample I tried a while back).
There's a 8600GT video card installed which was one of the first to fully decode h264, so it's pretty old but it works fine (High Profile 4.1 @ 1080p).

If you use a decent VGA cable the difference between VGA and HDMI isn't all that great (assuming your TV has a VGA input). The downside is limited VGA cable length. My card only has a DVI out but it's connected to the TV via a DVI to HDMI cable. I think it's about 10m long.

I've not tested any h265 decoding yet. Not at high resolutions. I don't care all that much at this stage as it's a ways off being mainstream. By the time it is I'd imaging h265 decoding will be pretty common for video cards so maybe I'll update mine down the road. At the moment I don't think there's any cards with full h265 decoding. It's probably still just "hardware assisted" decoding, although I'm not really sure. I haven't paid much attention to that.

[Szabo2]

Or you could pick up a used WDTV box on Ebay or similar and use that as a much simpler solution. Then you just need a USB hard drive for storage.

Thank you for your reply, but as I said, I'd like to stay away from 'proprietary' solutions. I'm extremely disappointed with the support of the manufacturers for all the 'smart' devices... they never release software updates for older devices and technology keeps moving, so I bet in a few years the WDTV (the current models) won't be able to play the latest video codecs. Of course there's always a change of people hacking it and making a open firmware, and generally they are much better than the official ones (Canon opensource firmware for example is MUCH superior), but I'm not placing bets atm. I want a long-term solution.

I have an old computer here, the specs are: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (2.66GHz, 1333MHz FSB) , 2GB of DDR3 (I could double that if needed), Integrated Intel G41 VGA. I also have a somewhat old TV (not smart) and I'd like to somehow use the PC to play stuff on TV, mostly movies and series.

That's pretty much the PC I use as a media player. Same CPU, although I have it running at 3.2Ghz as I still use it to convert the odd video and it's an easy over-clock. No voltage adjustment required. Even at stock speed it'll decode 1080p h264 video though (it managed to decode a 4k h264 sample I tried a while back).
There's a 8600GT video card installed which was one of the first to fully decode h264, so it's pretty old but it works fine (High Profile 4.1 @ 1080p).

If you use a decent VGA cable the difference between VGA and HDMI isn't all that great (assuming your TV has a VGA input). The downside is limited VGA cable length. My card only has a DVI out but it's connected to the TV via a DVI to HDMI cable. I think it's about 10m long.

I've not tested any h265 decoding yet. Not at high resolutions. I don't care all that much at this stage as it's a ways off being mainstream. By the time it is I'd imaging h265 decoding will be pretty common for video cards so maybe I'll update mine down the road. At the moment I don't think there's any cards with full h265 decoding. It's probably still just "hardware assisted" decoding, although I'm not really sure. I haven't paid much attention to that.

Awesome. I guess the 8600GT is much more powerful than the 9500GT or GT210. Perhaps I could go with something like a GT610... I'm going to buy a VGA with native HDMI port. How are you using the PC from such a distance? Do you run some kind of media player or are you using a wireless mouse?

However, the difference between VGA and HDMI is HUGE on 1080p, at least I could see a huge difference when I tested it once, but perhaps it was the cable... in any case, I think the VGA signal will degrade significatively.

Thank you.

[usually_quiet]

I have an old computer here, the specs are: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 (2.66GHz, 1333MHz FSB) , 2GB of DDR3 (I could double that if needed), Integrated Intel G41 VGA. I also have a somewhat old TV (not smart) and I'd like to somehow use the PC to play stuff on TV, mostly movies and series.

HD HEVC/H.265 decoding may be beyond your PC's capabilities without a significantly more expensive new video card (GTX 960), but as already pointed out HEVC/H.265 isn't mainstream yet. If you want to use some of madVR's more demanding features, you would need a fairly powerful video card for that as well. (A few months ago I saw a GTX750Ti recommended by someone for using madVR's more advanced features.) Otherwise, a GT210 is perfectly adequate for most HTPCs.

[Edit]I'm pretty sure a GT 210 will still work with a PC that old. I did check on that. A GTX 750Ti or GTX 960 are unlikely to be a worthwhile investment for it given their cost and the limitations of that old system.

[pandy]

Go for sub 150$ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockchip_RK3288 solution - seem to best buy today.

[ahhaa]

I think you need to stay with tech of the same vintage as your computer gear, whatever you decide.

HDCP is built-in to nearly all 'modern' equipment, which will block signal passage from players & computers to monitors allegedly to block piracy (tho it forces folks to upgrade gear). They are moving on new to HDCP 2, which is supposed to protect super-resolution and 3D properties, but is causing local area networks quite a bit of trouble. More here: http://www.cnet.com/news/hdcp-2-2-what-you-need-to-know/

ps Raspberry Pi has just released a much better 4 core updated model that runs Ubuntu & Microsoft has promised Win10 will run on it.
http://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-2-model-b/


pps How many watts does that old computer draw? Just watching TV doesn't seem very energy efficient to use it.

[usually_quiet]

I think you need to stay with tech of the same vintage as your computer gear, whatever you decide.

Very true. New tech may not work to its full potential, or not work at all with a PC that is a few years older. The OP's Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 was released in July of 2007. The OS is a consideration too. Some cards/devices may not have drivers available for XP or Linux.

[Szabo2]

Well, sure there are many variables to take into account, perhaps I could even sell that TV and buy a newer, 'smart' one, however, if that e6750 is not capable of decoding h265, then believe me, >90% if not all smartphones on the market today won't be able also (unless they have specific hardware). These ARM processors are flea bite compared to 'modern' x86 processors.

Also, I don't think power is a concern because if you put it on the paper... it's very cheap, even if that PC draws, let's say, 150W.

However, I'm 100% open to recommendations, like the WDTV, perhaps that's a good choice to revive an old TV, and perhaps it's going to be on par with the standard tech for some years, however, when h265 start to get adopted, it's going to be a pain to manage the media for that... it's not going to be much useful, specially because re-encoding always results in bad quality. Also, I don't live in US and in my country the WDTV is not popular, so there's no way to get an used one, that's why I was looking at cheaper alternatives like the pi.

Are there media players for that newer pi? The problem with the pi is the total lack of clear information.

Also, another thing is that I don't know if a smart tv that is capable of decoding h264 is capable of decoding *any* h264 file, that information simply isn't disclosed, the most you can have is the maximum bit-rate it can play, but that's all, and that doesn't helps much, also, I have old videos in divx format and I don't know if they are compatible either. It always amazes me the lack of information in the era of information. In the past TVs had extensive manuals, and I have some old TVs that even shipped with the service manual, including how to enter 'service menu mode' and that kind of stuff.

So far I'm still considering the following options:

- buy a cheap VGA and connect the PC to the TV using an HDMI cable.
- buy the expensive WDTV (it is expensive in my country)
- buy the new pi and use it as a media center (would be awesome)

Are there good alternatives to the WDTV? And I heard that MS has a device like the chromecast but it seems it's able to stream 1080p smoothly, perhaps that's a good option? I can't find anything about it online though... perhaps it was cancelled.

[jagabo]

The thread has devolved into a bunch of name calling but there is some pertinent information in some of the posts:
https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/369997-1080p-AVC-H-264-videos-playing-slow-on-my-sy...=1#post2374324

[hello_hello]

Awesome. I guess the 8600GT is much more powerful than the 9500GT or GT210. Perhaps I could go with something like a GT610... I'm going to buy a VGA with native HDMI port. How are you using the PC from such a distance? Do you run some kind of media player or are you using a wireless mouse?

As far as I know the 9500GT and the 8600GT are pretty much the same card, only the 9500GT is a tad newer and a tad faster. I assume it has the same or better hardware decoding abilities but I'd have to check. I'm not sure about the GT210. How much "power" the card has is pretty much irrelevant for video decoding. Either a card has on-board hardware decoding abilities or it doesn't and any card should be able to display video at 1080p.

Me.... I just connect two mice to the PC. A wired one on my desk and a wireless one back at normal viewing position.

However, the difference between VGA and HDMI is HUGE on 1080p, at least I could see a huge difference when I tested it once, but perhaps it was the cable... in any case, I think the VGA signal will degrade significatively.

The difference between VGA and HDMI when I'm using the TV's default settings is pretty much non-existent for me as the TV has noise reduction enabled for HDMI by default, whereas VGA doesn't. I tested it by connecting the same card to the same 51" TV twice (VGA and HDMI) and playing/pausing the same video on the "two monitors" while switching between the TV inputs. With the noise reduction disabled, HDMI has more high frequency info, but mostly that translates to seeing more fine noise and not much in respect to actual picture detail. Back at normal viewing distance I'm not sure I could pick which is which.

But yes, that's using a high quality VGA cable, and a lot of them aren't. I've come across a few so bad the image on an old CRT computer monitor even looks noticeably blurred.

Anyway, I'm not trying to sell you on VGA. HDMI is definitely better and more convenient and it either works or it doesn't. No good quality/bad quality issues.

Also, another thing is that I don't know if a smart tv that is capable of decoding h264 is capable of decoding *any* h264 file, that information simply isn't disclosed, the most you can have is the maximum bit-rate it can play, but that's all, and that doesn't helps much, also, I have old videos in divx format and I don't know if they are compatible either. It always amazes me the lack of information in the era of information. In the past TVs had extensive manuals, and I have some old TVs that even shipped with the service manual, including how to enter 'service menu mode' and that kind of stuff.

Support for High Profile, Level 4.1 seems pretty universal these days. I tested the 8600GT (hardware decoding), the media player in my TV (Samsung) and two Bluray players (Sony and Samsung) in respect to bitrate. I started with a video sample with peak bitrates above 100Mbps. The Sony Bluray player was fine with it (I think I'm remembering that correctly), but nothing else would play it smoothly. In the end, the 8600GT and the Samsung players all seemed to require roughly the same restrictions when re-encoding the sample in order to play it smoothly.
--vbv-bufsize 50000 --vbv-maxrate 50000
That's the only time I've ever had video not play properly due to excessive bitrate though..... when I was deliberately testing for it.
If you're encoding for the lowest common denominator, that'd probably be DivX+ HD, which I think requires Level 4.0 --vbv-bufsize 25000 --vbv-maxrate 20000

For the record, the E6750 played the sample fine at the original bitrate when hardware decoding was disabled, but I think it did max out CPU usage.
I have a 4K sample at 32Mbps (h264, Level 5.1) and the E6750 will play it after a little stutter at the beginning, although with CPU usage at 90% or more. That's probably about the limit. I haven't messed around with any h265 samples yet.

All the players here play Xvid encoded video. One of them (the Sony, I think) won't play DivX encoded video. Well it will, but you need to change the FourCC to Xvid first. I assume they have, or did have, Divx certified players so the non-certified players are blocked from playing anything with a Divx FourCC.

[jagabo]

Be aware that DXVA doesn't include all possible x264 options. If you download a lot of videos you'll find some that don't play properly with DXVA.

[Szabo2]

Thank you guys, I think the best option is to buy a VGA and use a long HDMI cable. The WDTV, since it's not officially sold in my country, it costs the same as a newer 'smart' TV, so it's totally out of question. I could use the pi, but it seems no one has the newer version in stock and you have to rely on its hardware decoding capabilities because I don't think it has the cpu power to decode anything HD. In case of the PC, if the VGA can't decode it by hardware, the CPU is a decent fallback for most scenarios. The pi has the advantage of not using the PC so it could be used for other stuff when a video is playing on TV.

[usually_quiet]

As far as I know the 9500GT and the 8600GT are pretty much the same card, only the 9500GT is a tad newer and a tad faster. I assume it has the same or better hardware decoding abilities but I'd have to check. I'm not sure about the GT210. How much "power" the card has is pretty much irrelevant for video decoding. Either a card has on-board hardware decoding abilities or it doesn't and any card should be able to display video at 1080p.

The GeForce GT 210 is an inexpensive low-end low-power video card that is suitable for an older system. It does hardware decode acceleration for H.264, VC-1, WMV, DivX, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4. There may be better compatible choices available for hardware decode acceleration, although they would cost more.

[ahhaa]

'Are there media players for that newer pi? The problem with the pi is the total lack of clear information.'

I'm not sure where you are looking for your Raspberry Pi info; there's dozens of HowTos on both Google and Youtube; including this one which covers just one of many media players- as it runs a flavor of linux, you could even use VLC... and possibly power the Pi right from the TV PSU

Raspberry Pi XBMC Media Player

http://youtu.be/1L5GCmXgHK8