AnimeSuki Forums

voxxchubbs · 2008-12-16, 08:30

Hey guys, I just wanted to share my problem here to see if anyone has encountered the same and a solution for it.

I have MacBook Pro, 2.4Ghz, 2GB RAM, GF8600M 256 MB

I believe this is more than enough spec (at least according to Apple recomendations) to play 1080p HD content. And indeed, when I first bought my MacBook, 1080p played smoothly. However, recently, all 1080p content is choppy, slow and just not playing correctly. Anyone know of any steps I should take to see if there's any software/hardware issue that I'm not aware of?

I've tested HD content with VLC/MPlayer OSX/Perian and all encounter similar issues, although VLC seems to handle best. I've tried shutting off all programs while playing HD, and gets a bit better, but not much. I've also tried clearing up hard drive space a bit, and I've managed to get about 30GB free (160GB HD). Am I missing something here? Thanks for any help!

Junpei · 2008-12-16, 21:04

Indeed that machine can certainly handle 1080p. Is it *all* content in that resolution, aka movie trailers from Apple's site, as well and fansubs and such? Or specific content?

I can't think of a clear reason it would start playing slowly like that. Oh wait — is this one of the new MacBook Pro's that has two graphics chips in it? Maybe you got switched to the slower one (though both should be able to handle the content). Also check your Energy Saver preferences to see that CPU performance is set to highest.

voxxchubbs · 2008-12-16, 21:24

Nope, this is the 256 MB Geforce 8600M 17" one. It's last year's model. All 1080p content has a certain degree of slowdown. From Apple trailers to HD movies and fansubs. Is it possible that this is due to too many codecs installed? I have Flip4Mac, Perian, and Xvid codecs installed.

TheFluff · 2008-12-16, 22:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by voxxchubbs

Is it possible that this is due to too many codecs installed? I have Flip4Mac, Perian, and Xvid codecs installed.

Only one decoder can be active at a time so it wouldn't have mattered even if Mac OS did have an equivalent of DirectShow.

I assume it's an intel Core2? Is it a duo? Because that should be able to handle 1080p.

voxxchubbs · 2008-12-16, 23:18

Yep, C2D. I know it should handle these files just fine. It did when I first bought it. Now it doesn't. I tried uninstalling Perian, and funny enough, now the trailers in the Apple website seem to be running alright. MKV's though are ruled out... VLC, surprisingly (even though it gave me much grief in the past) is handling playback best, although not perfect. MPlayer is simply crap, completely unwatchable.

Takeru · 2008-12-23, 15:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by voxxchubbs

Yep, C2D. I know it should handle these files just fine. It did when I first bought it. Now it doesn't. I tried uninstalling Perian, and funny enough, now the trailers in the Apple website seem to be running alright. MKV's though are ruled out... VLC, surprisingly (even though it gave me much grief in the past) is handling playback best, although not perfect. MPlayer is simply crap, completely unwatchable.

Have you tried running your maintenance scripts and repairing your permissions? I know messed up permissions can cause things to act strange. If not, I would suggest downloading OnyX and running the automated scripts that come with it and then try. Something is definitely wrong if you're saying that MPlayer isn't working at all because it works great with everything I throw at it.

Also, what version of OS X are you using?

voxxchubbs · 2008-12-23, 23:25

I'm using OSX 10.4.1 and the MPlayer Extended build found in this forum.

I have tried repairing permissions, that didn't do much. I'll try OnyX and see what happens.

2008-12-16, 08:30	Link #1
voxxchubbs Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008	Problems playing 1080p HD content (MAC) Hey guys, I just wanted to share my problem here to see if anyone has encountered the same and a solution for it. I have MacBook Pro, 2.4Ghz, 2GB RAM, GF8600M 256 MB I believe this is more than enough spec (at least according to Apple recomendations) to play 1080p HD content. And indeed, when I first bought my MacBook, 1080p played smoothly. However, recently, all 1080p content is choppy, slow and just not playing correctly. Anyone know of any steps I should take to see if there's any software/hardware issue that I'm not aware of? I've tested HD content with VLC/MPlayer OSX/Perian and all encounter similar issues, although VLC seems to handle best. I've tried shutting off all programs while playing HD, and gets a bit better, but not much. I've also tried clearing up hard drive space a bit, and I've managed to get about 30GB free (160GB HD). Am I missing something here? Thanks for any help!

2008-12-16, 21:04	Link #2
Junpei Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Northern California	Indeed that machine can certainly handle 1080p. Is it all content in that resolution, aka movie trailers from Apple's site, as well and fansubs and such? Or specific content? I can't think of a clear reason it would start playing slowly like that. Oh wait — is this one of the new MacBook Pro's that has two graphics chips in it? Maybe you got switched to the slower one (though both should be able to handle the content). Also check your Energy Saver preferences to see that CPU performance is set to highest.

2008-12-16, 21:24	Link #3
voxxchubbs Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008	Nope, this is the 256 MB Geforce 8600M 17" one. It's last year's model. All 1080p content has a certain degree of slowdown. From Apple trailers to HD movies and fansubs. Is it possible that this is due to too many codecs installed? I have Flip4Mac, Perian, and Xvid codecs installed.

2008-12-16, 23:18	Link #5
voxxchubbs Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008	Yep, C2D. I know it should handle these files just fine. It did when I first bought it. Now it doesn't. I tried uninstalling Perian, and funny enough, now the trailers in the Apple website seem to be running alright. MKV's though are ruled out... VLC, surprisingly (even though it gave me much grief in the past) is handling playback best, although not perfect. MPlayer is simply crap, completely unwatchable.

2008-12-23, 23:25	Link #7
voxxchubbs Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008	I'm using OSX 10.4.1 and the MPlayer Extended build found in this forum. I have tried repairing permissions, that didn't do much. I'll try OnyX and see what happens.