VLC videolan media player + codecs

[RedDwarf1]

Hi everyone,
I have installed windows again a couple of days ago and I am gradually installing software that I need.

Now onto the problem. I have installed VLC media player but have not yet installed any codecs. Everything works fine and I am currently watching Superman returns on it and it is using only 1-5% CPU time and I run my CPU quite slow the majority of the time at about a 3rd it's maximum speed. Now this is fantastically low CPU usage while playing a XVid file as previously on my last install with codecs installed I experienced about 50-60% CPU usage. So a massive difference in CPU usage and it can only be the codecs that make the difference.

Now I do need codecs for other programs that require them to work with video so I do have to install some. I would like the fastest ones I can get. It appears that vlc uses it's own decoders to play files instead of installed codecs. Yet the CPU usage was considerably higher on my last install when codecs were installed. Has anyone else experienced this?

Does anyone know of a way to install codecs and still get vlc to use it's own decoders for low CPU usage? I have looked through the options but cannot find any codec usage section like in other players. Does it always use it's own decoders or does it choose depending on what is available?

Anyone know?

[setarip_old]

It's my understanding that, regardless of what other codecs you may have installed on your system, VLC only uses its own.

Chances are that your observed improvement is due to your recent re-installation of Windows...

[RedDwarf1]

Well I have just tested it and installed kl mega codec pack AutoIT script and BlazeDVD media player and now my CPU usage ranges from 12 to 48% CPU usage which is a massive difference. So they must be having some effect on vlc. Maybe getting rid of these massive codec packs might help and just install the few that are needed.

[setarip_old]

You might want to call up "Windows task Manager" (Ctrl-Alt_Delete) and check to see what processes may be running in the background (and, therefore) requiring CPU usage- some of which may be related to your installation of "kl mega codec pack AutoIT script and BlazeDVD media player"...

[check]

What speed is your CPU? 5% utilisation seems extraordinarily low even for the latest CPUs

[RedDwarf1]

You might want to call up "Windows task Manager" (Ctrl-Alt_Delete) and check to see what processes may be running in the background (and, therefore) requiring CPU usage- some of which may be related to your installation of "kl mega codec pack AutoIT script and BlazeDVD media player"...

None of those are running as I make sure as little as possible is running. Only my software firewall(Outpost), NetMeter and MBM runs from startup. As I said I got rid of kl mega pack by doing a system restore to make sure it was all gone.

What speed is your CPU? 5% utilisation seems extraordinarily low even for the latest CPUs

You are really gonna piss yourself laughing......I have an Mobile Athlon XP 2500 which can run at 2650MHz. But here is the funny bit, I run it at 166x5 which is 833MHz the majority of the time while browsing. lol I only clock it up when I need some speed for video encoding etc.

[RedDwarf1]

Actually I have been watching task manager rather than MBM for cpu usage and it is slightly higher than I stated. Although I do have a lot more stuff installed, including my Anti Virus so they could make a difference. It shows upto about 6% usage in task manager while playing an avi in VLC, I was watching the overall CPU usage before so it is slightly higher now. So something must be having an effect, but still pretty good and a lot better than with my last install.

[setarip_old]

So something must be having an effect, but still pretty good and a lot better than with my last install.As I said earlier, chances are that your observed improvement is due to your recent re-installation of Windows...

[kilivipin]

I apologise for bumping, but two weeks is not that long... right?

I found this thread by searchng for "VLC LOW CPU USAGE."

First of all, my specs:

AMD SEMPRON 2800 (1.6ghz) 32-bit.
XP Pro SP2
512MB DDR3200 Corsair Value Memory
120 GIG 7200 WD Hard Drive


I was wondering why XVID movies have such a low CPU usage on VLC. Like the poster who started this thread, I get around 3-6% usage on most movies, while using ffdshow is Media Player Classic 6.4.9.0 uses about 50% of my CPU. Higher bitrate movies with 6 channel mp4 soundtracks have a higher usage, but still much lower than MPC. My windows installation is not new. I have not formatted in over three months.

Why is this? I thought that ffdshow and ffmpeg were both very similar?

[Manao]

kilivipin : most likely because the overlay isn't being used by MPC. Check 'View' -> 'Options' -> 'playback' -> 'output', there are several available renderers, and one of them at least should allow the use of the overlay. That is - of course - if your graphic drivers are up to date and working. Furthermore, you might have configured ffdshow to postprocess the movie ( sharp, deblocking, denoise, noise ), while by default, VLC doesn't postprocess anything.

RedDwarf1 : care to edit you first post, to avoid naming the movie you were trying to watch, since obviously you shouldn't have watched it ?