New laptop, poor video performance

Recently I purchased the Envy 17, which should theoretically be an improvement over my XPS M1710 in every way, but I'm having a lot of difficulty getting video to play smoothly.

On my XPS, with a 7900 Go GTX and Core 2 Duo 2.16 Ghz (T7400) all video played smoothly regardless of which codec I used. Even 1080p video was played with no difficulty.

Now on my Envy 17, I am struggling to get video to play without a horrendous number of dropped frames which really ruin the experience. The new laptop has a Core i5-480M and Mobility Radeon 5850.

Some MKVs, even 1080p ones, run with hardware acceleration and therefore only suffer a small number of dropped frames. However, when DXVA is not active the number of dropped frames is awful.

Where am I going wrong? My previous laptop played all video flawlessly.

 

Then I would guess it's not better? Anyway, how are you playing these videos? What program are you using? And are all the peripherals (in any) identical?

 

I've tried:

Combined Community Codec Pack
VLC
SMPlayer
FFDShow installed separately + Haali media splitter installed separately
Media Player Classic - Home Cinema installed separately

Each player has its advantages, playing certain file types with less dropped frames than the others. But all of them drop frames occasionally, whereas my previous laptop never dropped any frames.

By peripherals, I'm not sure what you mean. All I have is a mouse and external HD?

 

I've also tried messing with all sorts of settings, e.g. disabling hardware accel, multithreading, using DirectX output. It all makes a difference, but I'm not getting perfect, smooth video like I'm used to.

Quite amusingly, Flash Video (usually) works perfectly with no dropped frames. On my previous laptop, flash video was the biggest problem.

 

Uninstall all of it. Try VLC, or K-Lite in whatever configuration you want... they have the normal pack, mega pack with every codec under the sun, and a 64-bit specialized version.

I'd recommend the Mega Pack. It comes with all the necessary codecs and MPC-HC is installed as part of the codec-pack installation with configuration options available as you go through the installer on advanced.

That pack has never let me down on any Windows installation that uses DXVA, which is Vista+. It's defaulted to DXVA on. VLC has given me a litany of issues, especially with hardware acceleration enabled.

You also want to make sure that your GPU drivers are up to date. Even older drivers shouldn't be an issue with video playback, seeing as how it's a menial task for today's hardware, but you never know...

 

Have you tried this on a clean Windows install and newest gpu drivers?
If not, I recommend you either upgrade the drivers for the gpu and clean out the OS thoroughly of bloatware, or you do a clean install of Windows and install latest drivers.

 

I normally delete the previous option before trying the next, and VLC, SMPlayer and media player classic - home cinema should theoretically be standalone to everything else.

I will try using the K-Lite Pack when I get access to the computer later today. I hope it works! Although I don't see why VLC and MPC-HC worked perfectly on my old laptop and not this one :S.

The computer is new and I've only installed a handful of software on it since, so I don't think there should be any unnecessary bloatware. I've not installed anything that wasn't on my old computer. Or could it be something HP included? :S

GPU drivers are latest.

 

Unless you can find a software or driver issue, you probably have a motherboard problem. Get a refund, or a new system, or the motherboard changed, because even the cheapest entry level notebooks with integrated graphics should be able to smoothly play flash videos.

 

In my experience it's most likely a driver issue; I'd check there first. That is, unless there's something else you forgot to tell us?

 

Hmm.... interesting. Video games run fine and as expected, like Battlefield 3 and Deus Ex: HR, as well as Crysis 2. Could there still be an MB problem? Or a GPU problem since I think my laptop has a separate GPU?

I mean, it's supposed to be a 3d Laptop and 3d video is working fine - I just tried the 3d Demo to make sure.

Anyway, I tried the K-Lite Codec pack as HAL suggested. Coincidentally, this is exactly what I was using on my old laptop. When using Media Player Classic Home Cinema with the K-Lite pack all of the video I tried worked perfectly, except for 720p AVIs which dropped a few frames, but it was watchable.

However, performance using Windows Media Player with K-Lite pack is really bad, unwatchable in fact. On my old laptop, I use WMP only. Why is my new laptop performing less well? :S I feel like there is some underlying issue here. Is it because my OS is 64-bit? On my old laptop I had 32-bit Windows.

Thanks for all the help, btw.

 

Imo, it sound more like a software problem as a i5 should be able to decode 1080p material easily w/o GPU acceleration. It sound like a software conflict when you use WMP.

Also try DPC latency checker and see if their is possible driver/hardware conflict .

 

hmmm... what do you mean when you say software conflict with WMP?

Also, do you think I should try this preview driver?

http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticles/Pages/Catalyst122Previewdriver.aspx

 

Also I tried running DPC latency checker. Tbh, I have no idea what it means. But it says this: "This machine should be able to handle real-time streaming of audio and/or video data without drop-outs."

Is there anything particular I should be on the lookout for?

 

Actually, I left DPC latency checker running for a while in the background and when I came back to it, I got this:

"Some device drivers on this machine behave bad and will probably cause drop-outs in real-time audio and/or video streams. To isolate the misbehaving driver use Device Manager and disable/re-enable various devices, one at a time. Try network and W-LAN adapters, modems, internal sound devices, USB host controllers, etc."

!!!! :O. Well, at least now I'm on the right track, maybe.

EDIT: On re-starting app and leaving it running for 2 mins, it still says "This machine should be able to handle real-time streaming of audio and/or video data without drop-outs." Is it possible to get unlucky with this application?

EDIT 2: Actually, I left the test running for over 10 minutes now with the computer unattended, and then 20 minutes with me using it (total = 30). It still reports no problems.

I think that the previous result was just a mistake caused by me doing other stuff on the computer at the time.

 

If DPC say it is okay then it should be fine. Main thing about it is that the bar should stay in green zone.
personally I never use WMP anymore so I can't advise on that.
What kind of video were you playing? and how do know if there are frame drops ? It would be more helpful if you provide the video.

Edit: I just reread your first post, and you say DXVA have better result. hmm, I think there maybe another possible problem, thermal throttling on the CPU.

 

hmm, yeah I can believe that, my CPU gets quite hot. When playing games it reaches 80-90. Similar for GPU.

Is there any way to confirm that this is the cause?

 

Download HWInfo 32bit or 64 bit depends on your window, open up the sensor page. Play your video and watch the clock and temp.
If you see the CPU clock lower itself and load go up to 90+% then that is throttling.
80-90 sound like a easy throttling temp.

 

That's a pretty weird problem...

I've had something similar before - some video files would be very choppy or just show a black screen. What solved it for me was installing DirectX 9 (yes, 9) and changing output settings in Media Player Classic (which I'm using) to DirectX9/EVR... Otherwise, try re-installing Windows

 

Its highly unlikely that has anyting to do with it. However, you are correct in pointing out that there is some underlying problems. You're going to have to use the troubleshooting method and chart the flow step by step until you isolate what might be causing the problem--its either software or hardware.

I would bet credits to navy bean that you have a software mismatch issue somewhere. I'd start there.

 

Max temp reached = about 60-70 for CPU.

Max CPU usage is about 10-15%.

This is a video with DXVA2. Will try nonhardware accelerated later.

This one dropped 20 frames in 20 minutes in Media Player Classic. It drops a LOT more in WMP.

 

Thanks for the help, but I don't know what you mean by the "troubleshooting method"?

 

I did the tests you suggested. CPU temperature when watching video never reaches 70, and CPU usage of any of the 4 threads never exceeds ~60-65%.

This is with both DXVA and non-accelerated video. On MPC-HC the dropped frames are negligible, on WMP all video I tried stutters a lot to the point of being annoying to watch.

VLC is somewhere in between. Some videos play fine (I think the ones with DXVA), but some videos have lots of dropped frames.

 

you should try my config, see if it helps you

1. Make sure that ALL codecs and codec packs are UNINSTALLED from the system. This means CCCP, K-Lite, ffdshow, etc…
2. Install the latest version of Media Player Classic – Home Cinema. Be sure to get the 32-bit version, even if you have a 64-bit machine.
3. Download and unzip the latest version of LAV Filters anywhere on the machine that you won’t be deleting (i.e. C:\Program Files\LAV Filters\). Again, make sure you get the 32-bit version.
4. Then run the three installation batch files extracted from zip (install_audio.bat, install_splitter.bat, and install_video.bat). Be sure to run these as administrator if you are on Windows Vista or later. or just the installer.
5. Install the latest version of Haali Media Splitter.
6. Open MPC-HC
7. Go to View >> Options.
8. Under the "Internal Filters" section, make sure you disable ALL Transform Filters, and some of the Source Filters. Source Filters that should be disable are avi, matroska, MP4 / MOV, MPEG PS / TS /PVA and Ogg.
9. Then under the "Subtitles" section, make sure "Maximun Texture Resolution" is set to "Desktop" and "Allow animation when buffering" is enabled.
10. Make sure that "Auto-load Subtitles" is check under "Playback,"
11. Then, make absolute sure that LAV Filters are set as the prefered filters in MPC ( see the tree on external Filters). If you do not see them in the list, click on "Add" and choose the Video and Audio decoder that appears in the pop-up.
12. Now you should be able to play any of video there is.

these steps never fail me. not even once.

 

thanks for your advice. I agree that mpc HC is a great piece of software.

With the k lite pack, mpc HC already plays videos fine.

The main issue im wondering about now is why wmp and vlc do not play video smoothly like they do on my older, lower spec laptop. I am worried there may be some underlying issue.

 

Are there any other issues are far as visual artifacting? How about latency? Any audio skips?

Personally, I've found that if a new system is almost, but not quite right, as far a video playback, it's not a good sign. If you're within the return period, you're always better off returning a system for a full refund and starting from scratch with a new system. A refund is always easier than a replacement or repair.

I made the mistake of waiting months and months for a driver fix, when there probably was a borderline hardware issue all along. It's amazing how such a high percentage of Windows PCs ship with motherboard issues.

I also can relate from personal experience, that early versions of VLC didn't have the same quality of playback as MPC-HC with the appropriate codec pack. VLC has improved tremendously, and it remains an easier standalone solution to the issue of multiple formats.

Windows Media Player is best avoided. Laggy, buggy and prone to system hangs. No thanks. I wouldn't judge any system on the basis of Windows Media Player.

 

Quit trolling. Post reported.

 

Let's not make troll posts here okay?

 

On the basis of my experience, a very high percentage do. Name one mainstream company that does a 72 hour burn in? Ok, I know that AvaDirect does, but there again, that's a Cleveland based company, selling whitebook notebooks, and not a massive ODM.

Honestly, since when is it wrong to relate personal experience?

I stated:

It's the honest truth. It has nothing to do with the Windows OS specifically, and I don't like the use the generic terms "PC," since Macs are technically PCs, but have entirely proprietary and very different motherboard designs, and the vast majority of non-OS X "PCs" ship with Windows.

 

It's wrong when it's an unsubstantiated claim made to seem as if it is a fact one can draw on to extrapolate a truth.

That's what makes it trolling.

While you might try to live up to your moniker, unless you can substantiate your off the cuff claims, you not an expert in the least.

I bought many notebooks over the years from many manufacturers. Probably more than many here. And your claim is the exact opposite of my experience.

Also bear in mind on a forum, its the people that have problems who post about them more often rather than the people with good experiences.

 

If you wanted to me enumerate every PC purchase I've made in the last quarter century, I think you'd be amazed by the number of out-of-the-box hardware issues I've experienced.

Again, that's not relevant to the OPs problem. I think that the OP has been offered some very good advice in terms of updating drivers, and as a final recourse, I've suggested exploring hardware issues. There's a reason why notebooks come with warranties and why you see so many deals on "refurbished" units of just about every brand.

That's why I asked questions about visual artifacting, skipping audio and latency issues in the post the Mitlov too offense to. Depending on the context, any of these symptoms can be software or hardware related.

 

And you would be amazed that I have never had a single hardware issue with any computer system I've purchased for either myself or helped select for any of my friends/family, not even a build quality defect. Does that therefore make PCs perfect? No.

To the OP: When playing videos in VLC, do you have the hardware acceleration feature turned on? It's a bit strange that your CPU will get that hot while playing a video, when even my X120e does fine.

 

Hi

Yes hardwAre acceleration is on. Cpu usage isn't that high but I guess the laptop must not be very good at dissipating heat. Or what I think it may be is that the gpu heats up and in turn heats up the CPU.

I've tried vlc in Ubuntu and windows with exactly the same result. A lot of videos play fine, but a few videos I have drop frames, particularly AVIs. With those videos, either totem player or smplayer play them fine without dropping frames. Actually I've found vlc to be the least good on Ubuntu out of those 3 in terms of performance, although the others also sometimes drop frames.