Will these specs be able to run 720p anime ok?

[cyberbeing]

My mistake, I was thinking they would be using libass by this point, but it looking at the source they are still using code based on the original FFDshow subtitle filter. Has it improved at all over the years to the point where it's usable?

[sneaker]

It's far behind libass, but it gets the very basic thinks right. An alternative for slow computers.

[0utf0xZer0]

Originally Posted by cyberbeing

Sandy Bridge CPUs are up to 50% faster clock for clock compared to Penryn. They are the king of single thread performance today. The E5700 would need to be overclocked to ~4.5Ghz to be comparable to a 3.0Ghz Sandy Bridge. Ivy Bridge set for release in 2012, will be another large leap and will supposedly be up to 37% faster clock for clock than Sandy Bridge. A 2.2Ghz Ivy Bridge may be equal to a 3.0Ghz Sandy Bridge which is equal to a 4.5Ghz Penryn. If a 1.6Ghz Ivy Bridge mobile chip ends up by chance having equal performance to the E5700 desktop chip, you are just asking for trouble in 2012.

Thing is, how much does VSfilter benefit from these sorts of architectural improvements? From what I remember, some apps benefit more than others.

I also assume that VSfilter being single threaded means that higher clock speed is more important than more core, so long as you have at least two (one for VSfilter, one for decoding the video).

If VSfilter does benefit from architecture improvements, I guess that the 2.1ghz i3 in the base model Thinkpad X220 is better than. say, a 2.8ghz Athlon II or Core 2 Duo based desktop. GPU and mass storage capabilities might be a little lacking for my usage though, so the netbook plus cheap desktop combo may still be better for me.

Also, this thread really makes me wonder if libass can be used with CCCP, since that would probably render even something like an E-350 adequate. Never heard of libass having the necessary DirectShow support though.

[sneaker]

No one has ported it yet, though the guy who made some modifications to the AviSynth plug-in said that he might also make a DirectShow version sometime this year. But only "might".

[TheFluff]

Originally Posted by sneaker

No one has ported it yet, though the guy who made some modifications to the AviSynth plug-in said that he might also make a DirectShow version sometime this year. But only "might".

It's been discussed multiple times, but it's nontrivial. I also sorta doubt lachs0r is going to do it; he's the kind of person who despises C++ in general, not to mention the COM+/ATL shit required to write DShow filters in the first place. Additionally, the stuff VSFilter does to insert itself into filter graphs is some serious voodoo even for experienced DShow programmers.

[cyberbeing]

Originally Posted by 0utf0xZer0

Thing is, how much does VSfilter benefit from these sorts of architectural improvements? From what I remember, some apps benefit more than others.

From what I've seen, VSFilter benefits greatly from both processor architectural improvements (increases in IPC) and compiler optimizations. You can even today nudge a bit more performance out of VSFilter by creating a PGO build in VS2010. I saw ~15% performance improvement with a PGO build vs CCCP-Beta-2011-06-15 on an old X2 4800+. Every little bit counts, but PGO builds can be a pain in the ass to make optimally. If you don't profile the instrumented build on a good selection of samples, you could end up with a build slower or no faster than a non-PGO build. I wouldn't count on the CCCP VSFilter build ever being PGO, but anybody who is a student that qualifies for Microsoft's Dreamspark program could easily grab a copy of VS2010 Pro, and play around with creating their own personal PGO build.

Originally Posted by 0utf0xZer0

I also assume that VSfilter being single threaded means that higher clock speed is more important than more core...

Correct.

Originally Posted by 0utf0xZer0

If VSfilter does benefit from architecture improvements, I guess that the 2.1ghz i3 in the base model Thinkpad X220 is better than. say, a 2.8ghz Athlon II or Core 2 Duo based desktop...

Looking at some synthetic benchmarks, it appears the 2.1Ghz i3-2310M (no Turbo Boost) trades blows with a 3.0Ghz Core 2 Duo desktop processor.
The 2.3Ghz i5-2410M (Turbo Boost to 2.9Ghz) is probably the best value, but considering the the X220 only has a 12.5" 1366x768 screen, maybe not. On a larger laptop, most definitely.