AnimeSuki Forums

SeedFreedom · 2008-04-22, 23:56

Hi there. I cant seem to figure out why my computer lags, usually when im playing MKV but sometimes with MP4s as well. My computer is a dell 1520 laptop and i am using windows vista. Its pretty new, so i dont think thats the problem. I am using CCCP (or whatever its called, the thing on the main page) and i usually use WMPC for all my MKV files. Occasionally i use zoom player, because i find it sometimes skips and that helps the lag problem. That is to say, i cant play any MKV files. Most work, but i first noticed a problem with Eclipses SNS movie or any of SNS second season, so i thought it was an isolated problem with the one file or fansubber. After, i found more files that i couldn't play, belonging to random series. I also noticed older series i haven't watched in a while that ran perfectly, started to lag in small places.

EDIT: by lag, i mean the video lags out of sync with the sound. the sound plays fine and normal.

Any suggestions/help/need more info?

Doughnuts · 2008-04-23, 00:30

Use CoreAVC for H264 playback, and check your power settings are set for best performance.

KholdStare · 2008-04-23, 01:04

First of all, is this happening to all mkv/mp4? Are there some mkv's (with a smaller resolution) that you can play fine? I'm not sure what you meant by most work, but you can't play any...

Since it's a laptop, try to see where the fan is. Some companies (stupid Dell) builds laptops that blow hot air down to the table instead of out the back of the laptop, which overheats your laptop. I daresay you can play mkv's fine the first time you turn on your completely cool laptop. If this happens, then you need to get a laptop cooler.

Even if your laptop is overheating or not, get CoreAVC anyways, but it's not free. Your computer should be able to play 704 x 400 h264 mkv files using CCCP only. If not, then...something's really wrong.

SeedFreedom · 2008-04-23, 08:47

At first, only eclipse files were giving me problems, so i still preferred MKV versions so i could turn off subtitles and get better screenshots. After i noticed more and more files giving me problems so i just decided to play safe and only get AVI files. The lags always occur in the same place in the video whenever i play it, but i've checked and redownloaded files but that doesn't fix it. i can skip that certain section of video and resume play normally, but usually those files have so many parts that skip its not practical. Recently MP4s are having the same problems. but rarer. I cant check anything until tonight, but I'll try running th files right after i turn on the comp.

I never usually set the comp to max performance, but i tried last night before i posted this and it didnt help.

I'll look into CoreAVC, but since its not free chances are i wont get it. My moneys a little tight.

Maxtro · 2008-04-23, 12:01

Is there any reason why CoreAVC is the only thing that works for H264 stuff? It's kind of ridiculous that in order to watch anime in HD you need a commercial product

martino · 2008-04-23, 12:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxtro

Is there any reason why CoreAVC is the only thing that works for H264 stuff? It's kind of ridiculous that in order to watch anime in HD you need a commercial product

Wouldn't you want to make money too out of a product that is bound to sell well? Welcome to capitalism.

Ledgem · 2008-04-23, 12:40

CoreAVC isn't the only thing that works for H.264, it's just the most efficient. If you have a processor that's fast enough then you don't need CoreAVC. Maxtro's issue seems to be more related to his processor underclocking while on the battery rather than that the processor is too weak to perform the playback properly. If SeedFreedom's system is a year old it probably has a Core 2 Duo processor; it should be good enough. The only people who seem to really need CoreAVC as of now are people with Pentium 4's and lower.

SeedFreedom · 2008-04-23, 12:45

Thats the weird thing, my comp is only half a year old. I got it mid summer last year. Oh, and i have Core 2 duo.

Maxtro · 2008-04-23, 12:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ledgem

CoreAVC isn't the only thing that works for H.264, it's just the most efficient. If you have a processor that's fast enough then you don't need CoreAVC. Maxtro's issue seems to be more related to his processor underclocking while on the battery rather than that the processor is too weak to perform the playback properly. If SeedFreedom's system is a year old it probably has a Core 2 Duo processor; it should be good enough. The only people who seem to really need CoreAVC as of now are people with Pentium 4's and lower.

When I first bought my computer it wasn't able to properly play H264 stuff even when it was plugged in. I had to install CoreAVC. Kind of ridiculous because it's a Turion 64 X2 2Ghz dual core with two gigs of ram.

How fast does the computer need to be to not need CoreAVC?

Ledgem · 2008-04-23, 12:58

People will throw processor names and clock speeds around but there's no real hard limit. It depends on the software you're using, the speed of your system, and your processor's architecture. It also depends on what you're trying to watch - a 640x480 episode will require less power than an episode that's at a larger resolution. Higher framerate will take a higher toll on your system as well, although fansubs generally all have the same framerate (occasionally some will come with opening and ending sequences that are a bit higher than usual).

I'm not too familiar with the AMD Turion processors but I'd imagine that they should be about equivalent to the Athlon line. I'm also very skeptical of Windows Vista, as it's known to take a lot out of your system. I'd imagine that both of you are having issues more due to software configuration than with problems in the hardware. One way you could test that would be to get a Linux LiveCD or to install Windows XP on a separate partition and to try playing the episodes through those. If they work, you'd know it was an issue with your previous software configuration - maybe the player, maybe the OS, or maybe some other programs that were running.

KholdStare · 2008-04-23, 16:31

I'm also skeptical of Windows Vista, since even though it says it can run on 1 GB RAM, it recommends 2 GB RAM, which just means it's a whole lot of something for nothing.

I have a 1 GM RAM Intel Celeron (worst of the worst) and I can play 640 x 480 and 701 x 400 H264 MKV files (with CCCP, not CoreAVC), and I can even play up to medium resolution Triad subs' Kaiji, so I'm not sure why a Core Duo can't. However, I do need a cooling pad in most cases since H264 MKV and MP4 files do tend to heat up my computer fast. I use Windows XP though, so...

dork · 2008-04-23, 16:50

WOW SeedFreedom I have the EXACT problem as you!! (same laptop, bought it last year around mid august) It's pretty weird how it "lags" on the laptop and doesnt lag on my brother's desktop (Pentium 4, windows xp) It doesnt lag when I watch Clannad (the 1024x576 h264 one) For Gundam 00 (1280x720 one) it lags whenever it goes into battle scenes...I'm pretty sure it's Vista's fault since my brother's comp and run any h264 videos fine ¬¬

cf18 · 2008-04-24, 10:50

I recently build a new PC because the old P4 2.1GHz had a hard time handling all the new releases with 720p H.264 and softsub, even with CoreAVC. New hardware is E3110 (aka Core2Duo E8400) overclocked to 3.6Ghz and 8800GT. Software is a new install of Windows XP and CCCP, no Nero or PowerDVD yet. I believed it can handle anything without overclocking anyway.

So last night I start playing a 2.4GB 1080p x264/AVC encoded anime movie with softsub - a Blue-Ray rip of something let's just say it's licensed. There were little lag at a few scenes but I thought it may be a harddisk bandwidth issue. When the movie reached 'part 3', theme song started playing with karaoke subs, it started lagging badly to the point that audio was cutting out in a large panning scene. I was like "

WTF? It's not suppose to happen to a CPU that is already faster than anything at stock speed!"...

1st thing I tried is to use a faster output renderer inside MPC - switch to old school overlay from VMR9 renderless helped a little, but the lag was still obvious.

2nd thing I tried is install CoreAVC (old one, v1.5) - that fixed the problem. CPU usage was still high on that scene but no more lag observed.

Yeah, don't assume just because your hardware is new it can handle anything.

Now I need to look up other solutions from new ffdshow to video card acceleration.

martino · 2008-04-24, 11:03

Since you have a fast GPU you may wanna try Haali's Renderer. And btw Overlay Mixer should be fast too.

SeedFreedom · 2008-04-24, 11:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by martino

Since you have a fast GPU you may wanna try Haali's Renderer. And btw Overlay Mixer should be fast too.

uhhh complete and utter newbie with codec technology so could you explain a little more or link me to a tutorial?

Daiz · 2008-04-24, 15:33

Read the guide linked in my signature, it also has steps regarding the renderer.

SeedFreedom · 2008-04-26, 13:00

Manged to get a copy of CoreAVC and now everything works. I had a little hickup in the first minute of Macross 2 but the rest of the ep plays fine. Thanks for all your help.

Kai Yukari · 2008-04-26, 13:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeedFreedom

EDIT: by lag, i mean the video lags out of sync with the sound. the sound plays fine and normal.

Any suggestions/help/need more info?

Get CoreAVC (I did get the same problems where the sound is not in sync with the video in DTB but then it's ok now). If it still doesn't work maybe you should get a faster computer <--- EDIT: scratch that, now I know it's not best to buy a new one instead use a better software.

Dark Shikari · 2008-05-04, 02:02

You don't really need CoreAVC; top-end modern processors can handle 1080p with ease with the latest FFDshow, and 720p should never be a problem as long as you have at least an mid-end Athlon 64 or low-end Core 2.

Hell, even without CoreAVC I can play 1080p fine on my 2Ghz Core 2 Duo...

Arm · 2008-05-07, 17:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Shikari

You don't really need CoreAVC; top-end modern processors can handle 1080p with ease with the latest FFDshow, and 720p should never be a problem as long as you have at least an mid-end Athlon 64 or low-end Core 2.

Hell, even without CoreAVC I can play 1080p fine on my 2Ghz Core 2 Duo...

Not really. My quad core @ 2.4GHz can't handle 1080p without using CoreAVC(due to the multiple threads CoreAVC uses).

2008-04-22, 23:56	Link #1
SeedFreedom Hina is my goddess Graphic Designer Join Date: Dec 2005	Constant lags with MKV/MP4 Hi there. I cant seem to figure out why my computer lags, usually when im playing MKV but sometimes with MP4s as well. My computer is a dell 1520 laptop and i am using windows vista. Its pretty new, so i dont think thats the problem. I am using CCCP (or whatever its called, the thing on the main page) and i usually use WMPC for all my MKV files. Occasionally i use zoom player, because i find it sometimes skips and that helps the lag problem. That is to say, i cant play any MKV files. Most work, but i first noticed a problem with Eclipses SNS movie or any of SNS second season, so i thought it was an isolated problem with the one file or fansubber. After, i found more files that i couldn't play, belonging to random series. I also noticed older series i haven't watched in a while that ran perfectly, started to lag in small places. EDIT: by lag, i mean the video lags out of sync with the sound. the sound plays fine and normal. Any suggestions/help/need more info? Last edited by SeedFreedom; 2008-04-23 at 00:12.

2008-04-23, 01:04	Link #3
KholdStare ISML Technical Staff Graphic Designer Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Phoenix, AZ Age: 35	First of all, is this happening to all mkv/mp4? Are there some mkv's (with a smaller resolution) that you can play fine? I'm not sure what you meant by most work, but you can't play any... Since it's a laptop, try to see where the fan is. Some companies (stupid Dell) builds laptops that blow hot air down to the table instead of out the back of the laptop, which overheats your laptop. I daresay you can play mkv's fine the first time you turn on your completely cool laptop. If this happens, then you need to get a laptop cooler. Even if your laptop is overheating or not, get CoreAVC anyways, but it's not free. Your computer should be able to play 704 x 400 h264 mkv files using CCCP only. If not, then...something's really wrong. __________________ Kholdy's MAL, ISML Chat, Saimoe Blog, Saimoe Wiki

2008-04-23, 08:47	Link #4
SeedFreedom Hina is my goddess Graphic Designer Join Date: Dec 2005	At first, only eclipse files were giving me problems, so i still preferred MKV versions so i could turn off subtitles and get better screenshots. After i noticed more and more files giving me problems so i just decided to play safe and only get AVI files. The lags always occur in the same place in the video whenever i play it, but i've checked and redownloaded files but that doesn't fix it. i can skip that certain section of video and resume play normally, but usually those files have so many parts that skip its not practical. Recently MP4s are having the same problems. but rarer. I cant check anything until tonight, but I'll try running th files right after i turn on the comp. I never usually set the comp to max performance, but i tried last night before i posted this and it didnt help. I'll look into CoreAVC, but since its not free chances are i wont get it. My moneys a little tight. Last edited by SeedFreedom; 2008-04-23 at 12:13. Reason: typo

2008-04-23, 12:40	Link #7
Ledgem Love Yourself Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Northeast USA Age: 38	CoreAVC isn't the only thing that works for H.264, it's just the most efficient. If you have a processor that's fast enough then you don't need CoreAVC. Maxtro's issue seems to be more related to his processor underclocking while on the battery rather than that the processor is too weak to perform the playback properly. If SeedFreedom's system is a year old it probably has a Core 2 Duo processor; it should be good enough. The only people who seem to really need CoreAVC as of now are people with Pentium 4's and lower. __________________

2008-04-23, 12:58	Link #10
Ledgem Love Yourself Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Northeast USA Age: 38	People will throw processor names and clock speeds around but there's no real hard limit. It depends on the software you're using, the speed of your system, and your processor's architecture. It also depends on what you're trying to watch - a 640x480 episode will require less power than an episode that's at a larger resolution. Higher framerate will take a higher toll on your system as well, although fansubs generally all have the same framerate (occasionally some will come with opening and ending sequences that are a bit higher than usual). I'm not too familiar with the AMD Turion processors but I'd imagine that they should be about equivalent to the Athlon line. I'm also very skeptical of Windows Vista, as it's known to take a lot out of your system. I'd imagine that both of you are having issues more due to software configuration than with problems in the hardware. One way you could test that would be to get a Linux LiveCD or to install Windows XP on a separate partition and to try playing the episodes through those. If they work, you'd know it was an issue with your previous software configuration - maybe the player, maybe the OS, or maybe some other programs that were running. __________________

2008-04-23, 00:30	Link #2
Doughnuts Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: England Age: 37	Use CoreAVC for H264 playback, and check your power settings are set for best performance.

2008-04-23, 12:01	Link #5
Maxtro Super Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: California	Is there any reason why CoreAVC is the only thing that works for H264 stuff? It's kind of ridiculous that in order to watch anime in HD you need a commercial product

2008-04-23, 12:45	Link #8
SeedFreedom Hina is my goddess Graphic Designer Join Date: Dec 2005	Thats the weird thing, my comp is only half a year old. I got it mid summer last year. Oh, and i have Core 2 duo.

2008-04-23, 16:31	Link #11
KholdStare ISML Technical Staff Graphic Designer Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Phoenix, AZ Age: 35	I'm also skeptical of Windows Vista, since even though it says it can run on 1 GB RAM, it recommends 2 GB RAM, which just means it's a whole lot of something for nothing. I have a 1 GM RAM Intel Celeron (worst of the worst) and I can play 640 x 480 and 701 x 400 H264 MKV files (with CCCP, not CoreAVC), and I can even play up to medium resolution Triad subs' Kaiji, so I'm not sure why a Core Duo can't. However, I do need a cooling pad in most cases since H264 MKV and MP4 files do tend to heat up my computer fast. I use Windows XP though, so... __________________ Kholdy's MAL, ISML Chat, Saimoe Blog, Saimoe Wiki

2008-04-23, 16:50	Link #12
dork Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2008	WOW SeedFreedom I have the EXACT problem as you!! (same laptop, bought it last year around mid august) It's pretty weird how it "lags" on the laptop and doesnt lag on my brother's desktop (Pentium 4, windows xp) It doesnt lag when I watch Clannad (the 1024x576 h264 one) For Gundam 00 (1280x720 one) it lags whenever it goes into battle scenes...I'm pretty sure it's Vista's fault since my brother's comp and run any h264 videos fine ¬¬

2008-04-24, 10:50	Link #13
cf18 Mecha Pilot Join Date: Apr 2003	I recently build a new PC because the old P4 2.1GHz had a hard time handling all the new releases with 720p H.264 and softsub, even with CoreAVC. New hardware is E3110 (aka Core2Duo E8400) overclocked to 3.6Ghz and 8800GT. Software is a new install of Windows XP and CCCP, no Nero or PowerDVD yet. I believed it can handle anything without overclocking anyway. So last night I start playing a 2.4GB 1080p x264/AVC encoded anime movie with softsub - a Blue-Ray rip of something let's just say it's licensed. There were little lag at a few scenes but I thought it may be a harddisk bandwidth issue. When the movie reached 'part 3', theme song started playing with karaoke subs, it started lagging badly to the point that audio was cutting out in a large panning scene. I was like " WTF? It's not suppose to happen to a CPU that is already faster than anything at stock speed!"... 1st thing I tried is to use a faster output renderer inside MPC - switch to old school overlay from VMR9 renderless helped a little, but the lag was still obvious. 2nd thing I tried is install CoreAVC (old one, v1.5) - that fixed the problem. CPU usage was still high on that scene but no more lag observed. Yeah, don't assume just because your hardware is new it can handle anything. Now I need to look up other solutions from new ffdshow to video card acceleration.

2008-04-24, 11:03	Link #14
martino makes no files now Join Date: May 2006	Since you have a fast GPU you may wanna try Haali's Renderer. And btw Overlay Mixer should be fast too. __________________ "Light and shadow don't battle each other, because they're two sides of the same coin"

2008-04-24, 15:33	Link #16
Daiz Pioneer in Fansub 2.0 Join Date: Aug 2007	Read the guide linked in my signature, it also has steps regarding the renderer. __________________ "A good user is remembered from his posts, not from his 160px tall animated 'pink flying unicorns' signature picture." --- The Guide for best H.264 playback

2008-04-26, 13:00	Link #17
SeedFreedom Hina is my goddess Graphic Designer Join Date: Dec 2005	Manged to get a copy of CoreAVC and now everything works. I had a little hickup in the first minute of Macross 2 but the rest of the ep plays fine. Thanks for all your help.

2008-05-04, 02:02	Link #19
Dark Shikari x264 Developer Join Date: Feb 2008	You don't really need CoreAVC; top-end modern processors can handle 1080p with ease with the latest FFDshow, and 720p should never be a problem as long as you have at least an mid-end Athlon 64 or low-end Core 2. Hell, even without CoreAVC I can play 1080p fine on my 2Ghz Core 2 Duo...