Video decode problem

Hi there,

I have a compaq v2000 (pentium-m 1.5GHz, 1gb ram, intel video 855), a desktop rig (xp 2100+, 256mb ram, geforce 3 64mb agp) both with win xp, and my new digicam (canon a610) that can make up a video with 640x480 30fps in avi format.

When I record a such movie, the video plays well on the desktop, but with high cpu load (hovers around 60-80%)

On the laptop it is a different story, the video plays at maximum load (task manager reports 100% usage) and the video skips alot, it even freezes sometimes for 2-3 seconds.

I am wondering if the video card helped that much on my desktop rig, or if it's the processor that is slower. Last time I've benchmarked, the p-m 1.5 was performing more-or-less like a pentium 4 2.2GHz, which is still a bit more than my desktop rig.

Any ideas or suggestions ?

EDIT: I tried with media player classic, and the CPU usage dropped back to 95-100%, it is better, but still skips a bit

 

Since it's an avi file, give VLC a shot and see how well it plays. It's been my experience that WMP doesn't handle avi all that well even with the proper codec installed, plus VLC gives you a broader range of tweaking your playback and decoding options.

 

Problem fixed, thank you mach_zero !

CPU usage dropped down to 70% without any noticeable quality loss

 

NP. I've always loved VLC (used in on Mac OS, Windows, and Linux). It's a lot less resource hungry and way more flexible than a lot of players. Now if they could just get a reliable browser plug-in developed for it it would be nearly perfect.