Video Playback is Slow When My Laptop is Using the Battery.

Hey guys,

Is this normal? The videos that I'm playing back are pretty high quality. The video files are DV-AVI files running at 3789kbps. When I'm running the video with the AC adapter in, it runs fine. I'm guessing that it may be an issue with the processor running on a lower power when the laptop is running on the battery. Is there anyway to fix this issue? My notebook specs are listed in my sig. Thanks.

 

Check power options.

 

yeah, change to performance to from battery saver!

 

Hey! The same thing happened to my HP laptop when trying to play 720p videos running on battery power. The sounds would just run like normal, but the video plays out like a slideshow (lags).


And yes, I already tried changing the battery option to performance and tweaking the power settings in the control panel. Still doesn't help.

Any more suggestions? Or is it because the graphics card is not powerful enough? the screen resolution is 1200x800, so I don't see why it couldn't handle 720p videos (on battery)?

 

No...

You most likely have antivirus or some intensive processes running in your background. Start your task manager and end all the processes that don't look essential to Windows function such as Norton, Mcafee, etc.

 

Forte's suggestion is likely the correct one. Background programs can seriously affect the playback of video. Regardless, also check your power settings, and make sure it is set to "Dynamic" or "Always On". It may just be it is set on the power saving, in which case, the processor is downclocked, and it cannot play the video.

 

I have exactly the same problem, and no, it's not because of background proccesses.

Let me explain, my XPS M1330:

GeForce 8400M GS
BIOS A15
Drivers 176.44 (from Dell website)

When I try to play a big video file, for example 960x540 or 720p, playback is jerky and slow on battery, but perfect with the AC adapter.

I've tried this with all three power modes "Recommended by Dell", "Economizer" and "High".

I've used GPU-Z and I saw that when playing a 720p video on AC, the frequency values on the 8400M change from 169/100 to 400/600 (core/memory) while on battery it remains fixed on 169/100, not enough power to play the video, so it is slow and jerky.

I've tried with RivaTuner creating a profile on 400/600 but it doesn't work for me.

Does anyone know how I can solve this problem to watch 720p videos while on battery on Vista with my XPS M1330?

Thanks

 

Its your Dell driver... try this one:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/notebook_drivers.html

 

its called "powermizer" guys, no antivirus, no driver crud, its just an annoying app that locks your gpu on a low clock whilst on battery, to save battery, but i just take it as annoying

here is a guide how to remove it, quite simple really, but you have to put your hands on your registry

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=261929

i hope its of help, oh and every time you update your video drivers you have to do the same process , since powermizer is part of the nvidia driver...

 

Actually, if you are running Vista, powermizer will by default ramp up clocks when a 3D app is run. After the 3D app is closed, clock speeds will downclock automatically to conserve power and keep the thermals down. The only time this is not evident is when running in SLI on a 1730. SLI locks the clocks from downclocking.

The thread you referenced is for the older 175.xx series driver. Powermizer is no longer an issue on the current line. I have NEVER manually disabled powermizer in the .inf or registry - its not an issue. Powermizer is actually your friend.

For the OP, he should have his vista power profile to High Performance and try something other than the Dell release driver. This should correct his issue.

 

True! but you never know,they migth find this useful if they dont need extra battery life or find it annoying , although, i no longer have this problem because for some reason windows 7 doesn't support powermizer....

i just like to give readers as many options as possible so that they can choose witchever fits their needs

 

I don't think it's a driver issue, BatBoy. I had the same problem with 179.48 notebook drivers from nVidia.com and with 182.08 from nVidia.com with custom inf from laptopvideo2go. I just reverted to Dell official drivers (176.44) yesterday.

I'm going to read the thread that Koer recommended and see if I can disable powermizer when on "High Performance" profile and battery.

I'll write later if I need more help or the problem is solved.

Thanks