Do any codecs support dual-core machines? (is my Opteron 165 fast enough for 1080p?)

[sofakng]

I'm setting up a budget Home Theater PC with my spare Opteron 165 dual-core process (overclocked to 2.2 GHz, I think).

I'm 99% certain this is fine for 720p (any codec), but I'm not sure about 1080i or 1080p.

My projector is only 1080i but I'd like the ability for my HTPC to downscale it to 1080i (or 720p) and then play it back.

Do any codecs support dual-core machines so my 2.2 GHz would become 4.4 GHz (or slightly less or whatever)?

Does CoreAVC support dual-core?

Thanks for any help!

[Dark Shikari]

FFDShow-Tryouts supports very limited multithreading, CoreAVC has full multithreaded support.

[sofakng]

Do I have to enable anything in FFDShow to enable multithreading?

Also, CoreAVC is only for h.264, right? I guess that's the main High Definition codec currently being used, but I've also seen a bunch of XviD / WMV HD content, I think?

Does Windows Media Center Edition 2005 (or would it be Windows Media Player 10?) support multi-threading for WMVHD and WMV decoding?

[Morte66]

Does Windows Media Center Edition 2005 (or would it be Windows Media Player 10?) support multi-threading for WMVHD and WMV decoding?

I don't know about WMP10. I do know that the decoder in WMP11 (which also does VC-1 from HD DVD and Blu-Ray) multithreads. It's pretty poor though, my A64 X2 3800+ can decode my very complex 1080p h264 encodes with CoreAVC Pro in about 70% CPU, while the Microsoft decoder can't quite handle The Matrix HD DVD (VC-1 1920x800 + black borders). The WMP11 decoder will use GPU acceleration if available.

[sofakng]

Morte66: Planescape Torment is a good game :)

So are you saying that WMP11 and WMP10 use different codecs? What about lower WMP versions and WMVHD?

Also, VC-1 is a different codec? I thought h.264 and VC-1 were the same thing.

Too many confusing codecs!!!

I just want to make sure I'm using the best codecs possible (eg. multithreaded) because one 2.2 GHz core isn't all that fast...

[Morte66]

Morte66: Planescape Torment is a good game :)

At last, somebody understands me. :)

So are you saying that WMP11 and WMP10 use different codecs?

Well, players (which put stuff on the screen and have pause/stop buttons and so on) use codecs (which decompress compressed video) as tools. So WMP10 could use codecs released for WMP11, it's just that the easiest way to get those codecs is to download WMP11 and use it.

What about lower WMP versions and WMVHD?

WMP10 will handle those OK, though I don't know if it multithreads.

Also, VC-1 is a different codec? I thought h.264 and VC-1 were the same thing.

VC-1 is very loosely an enhanced version of VMW, different enough that it needs a new codec. h264 is a different codec altogether. Both of them (plus MPEG2) are options for HD DVD and Blu-Ray discs, and the players can handle all three codecs.

I just want to make sure I'm using the best codecs possible (eg. multithreaded) because one 2.2 GHz core isn't all that fast...

For DVD resolutions, one such core is fine for all formats.

For WMVHD, I think you'll be OK on one 2.2 GHz core with the normal decoders in WMP10 and later. But WMVHD is pretty rare stuff, I think it was a temporary thing while they were ramping up HD DVD and Blu-Ray. I've never seen it myself.

For VC-1 there's not much choice, you either use the Microsoft decoder from WMP11 which would need two fast cores for reliable 1080p, or buy a video card that can accelerate VC-1 decoding. No easy answer here, unless somebody makes a more efficient software decoder.

h264 is probably harder to decode than VC-1, and free decoders like ffdshow won't handle HD decodes on one core. There is a fast decoder called CoreAVC (not free) which helps, but it will struggle on your Opteron. Or you can get video cards that accelerate the decoding, if you also buy a suitable player.

The whole video card accelerated decoding thing is a hot area, manufacturers are changing their ranges over right now. They can do really good deinterlacing too, which is sometimes useful. It's all very new, and the drivers don't seem quite solid yet. If you wait a couple of months for the dust to settle, it might be your simplest solution.