Am I to stupid to play HD video? (H.264/VC-1 decoding)

[Markstar]

...or could it be something else? I have used the search function but I still have the same problem.

I'm experience with DivX/XviD encoding but I tried some 1080p demo files and all I get is sloppy playback:

Here are my specs:
X2 3800+ @ 2.5 GHz
1GB RAM
GeForce 6800 GT (128MB)
Audigy 2 eX

This is what I've tried:
- Media Player Classic (my player of choice)
- VLC (installed it just for this test but it only have me trouble - more below)

- ffdshow (for H.264, I had it installed before)

And after using the search here in the forum I also installed:
- Windows Media 9 Codec (for VC-1)
- Windows Media Format SDK 11 (again for VC-1)
- Nvidia PureVideo Decoder
- CoreAVC + Haali Media Splitter

No matter what I install, I still have the same problem:
MPC plays the file (with AC3, which I bypass via SPDIF) very sloppy, then after a few seconds the sound starts skipping and of course it gets out of synch. :scared:

Shouldn't my computer be able to handle a HD video?

Furthermore, I installed VLC, but this program gives me trouble even with normal files (sound is skipping all the time).

Anyways, any suggestions what I might be doing wrong? What am I missing?

Thanks in advance for your time and help on this, I'm really frustrated since I don't have money for a new computer right now. :o

[mjr4077au]

1: Update Audio Drivers
2: Update Video Drivers
3: Remove ALL Codec Packs & Filters.
4: Download CCCP (I usually recommend K-Lite for more advanced users)

5: You might have to face the fact that your PC cannot play 1080p material properly. My AMD Opteron 148 really struggles on 1080 stuff (or near abouts). I have "Face/Off" ripped at 1440x816 and it really struggles.

[Dark Shikari]

(I usually recommend K-Lite for more advanced users)Because they're smart enough to uninstall it and go install the CCCP afterwards? :D

I'm guessing your computer is simply too slow; you might have to get CoreAVC or similar.

[Shinigami-Sama]

Because they're smart enough to uninstall it and go install the CCCP afterwards? :D

I'm guessing your computer is simply too slow; you might have to get CoreAVC or similar.

more like it forces them to reinstall and have a nice fresh machine ;)

but I agree, you might want to look into coreAVC, which is something like 20$
or get a new videocard with HW/acceleration, which is much much more expensive

I'd simply try a fresh XP installation with CCCP, and MPC HC
or MPlayer with one of the GUIs, I hear SMPlayer is coming along nicely

[Markstar]

Drivers are up-to-date (fresh install).

I have tried uninstalled the codecs that were on it and installed CCCP - same issue.

I will try to reinstall Windows (again) and see if that changes anything (luckily I have a Ghost image without anything installed except SP2 and the recent security updates).

BTW, I already have tried CoreAVC (see first post).

[Blue_MiSfit]

depending on bitrate, you may need HD decoding acceleration.

~MiSfit

[mjr4077au]

Say what you like about K-Lite.


I use it and have used it for over 18 months.

I like it as it has stuff I want like G-Spot and codecs that are not commonly used but there if you want them. It also will let me play FLAC files with the filters it has (FFDShow will decode it if it's encapsulated into an OGG container)

I have never had a problem with it and it's updated more frequently (Just checked, CCCP is over 5 months out of date)

Since nubs tend to select everything, I don't recommend it to them.

And during an uninstall, CCCP seems to leave more crap in the registry than K-Lite (both claim they don't so go figure).

[jay2000]

CCCP isnt always updated try to find a codec pack thats the latest updated

[Dark Shikari]

Say what you like about K-Lite.

I use it and have used it for over 18 months.

I like it as it has stuff I want like G-Spot and codecs that are not commonly used but there if you want them. It also will let me play FLAC files with the filters it has (FFDShow will decode it if it's encapsulated into an OGG container)

I have never had a problem with it and it's updated more frequently (Just checked, CCCP is over 5 months out of date)
Its out of date because CCCP believes in the concept of a "stable version," something that a lot of open source codecs seem to forget about.

The reason K-Lite is bad is because it intentionally installs completely broken filters like the Morgan Stream Switcher.

[Shinigami-Sama]

its really not hard to find the codecs on their own
if it weren't for licencing BS and such I think it'd be a neat idea for Doom9 codec pack

[Dark Shikari]

its really not hard to find the codecs on their own
if it weren't for licencing BS and such I think it'd be a neat idea for Doom9 codec packThe point of the CCCP is that you'd be really shocked to know how many settings have to be changed from the defaults to ensure maximum idiot-proof compatibility.

Some examples:

Altered settings

* VSFilter
o Vertical padding: original height - This makes VSFilter keep the aspect ratio - any other value will make it stretch or squeeze it. This is particularily noticeable when playing anamorphic encodes.
o Load when needed - Only loads VSFilter when there are subs to display.
o Apply changes immediately - Makes it possible to change VSFilter settings and/or the subtitle stream without restarting playback.
* ZoomPlayer
o Use overlay mixer as video output renderer - Overlay mixer is used as the default renderer for several reasons, compatibility being one of the foremost. VMR7 is only available on Windows XP and VMR9 is horribly buggy (jagged edges and extreme smoothing are common problems). The VMR7 renderless and all VMR9 modes have a tendency to make the video look distinctly greenish, especially on nVidia video cards. The overlay mixer should be the most accurate renderer - it shows you what the video really looks like. So for both compatibility and quality, we use overlay. If, however, you have issues using overlay, try the VMR7 windowed mode.
* MPC
o Use overlay mixer as video output renderer - See the same entry for ZoomPlayer above.
o Use default DirectSound audio device - This is mainly to avoid bugs that appear when trying to decode Vorbis audio through the WaveOut device. Also, DirectSound might use slightly less CPU resources, especially on Windows 2000/XP.
o Audio normalization off - This is better done in ffdshow's audio decoder, if at all. It's off by default there too - simple volume control usually works better.
o Disable certain internal filters - If MPC's internal filters are enabled, they will be used instead of DirectShow filters. Since we want to actually use the components we install, MPC's internal filters are disabled depending on what else is installed with the CCCP. Note that some of MPC's internal filters are outdated and shouldn't be used - most importantly the MKV splitter.
* Haali Media Splitter
o Unregister Gabest's MKV splitter - Gabest's splitter is old and outdated, but has a higher DirectShow priority, so if it is installed it will be used instead of Haali's splitter. Therefore, we try to unregister Gabests splitter upon installation.
o Autoload fonts without asking - This is needed to play softsubbed MKV's that has nonstandard fonts muxed into the file. If this option is off, the splitter will ask if you want to load the fonts, and that quickly becomes annoying.
o Try to open linked files - Makes the splitter try to load linked files. Linking is a feature that allows splitting in a special fashion so that the encoder can, for example, split a movie to two 700 MB files, but have either of them behave as the whole file as long as they are in the same directory. Since some releases use this feature, we have chosen to enable it.
* ffdshow video
o Overlay mixer checkbox set to grey state - The only mode that doesn't break aspect ratios.
o YV12 colorspace output enabled - This used to be disabled for broad user compatibility reasons. Nowadays any vidcard should support YV12, except in the case of broken drivers. It should be noted that YV12 mode is faster on graphic cards that properly support it.
o Allow output format changes set to grey state - Set this way for compatibility reasons (especially with WMP10). Grey state means that ffdshow will allow output format changes during playback, but only when connected to a renderer that is known to support it.
o iDCT set to libmpeg2 - This implementation is the one that performs best according to our tests. It also deals correctly with old DivX encoded content.
* ffdshow audio
o AAC decoding set to libfaad2 - realaac doesn't support parametric stereo (not that anyone should be using that, but who knows), and it seems to crash under certain, rare conditions.
o Oblivion.exe added to blacklist - Oblivion seems to use DirectShow to play sound, and could cause a flood of ffdshow icons in the systray.
o Normalize disabled in the Volume filter - One pass normalization is something we generally try to avoid. Note that the Volume filter itself is disabled by default, so it's just there for people who might enable the filter manually.
o Normalize disabled in the Mixer filter


A great example of a common issue is the Oblivion issue; Oblivion uses DirectShow for sound playback, which results in all sorts of problems with FFDshow, which by default doesn't blacklist the program.

[FoxRacR17]

You might need more ram and a better graphics card.

I have a X2 3800+ O.C. to 2.5GHz, 3 gigs of 433MHz ram, and 2 nVidia 7800GT's and i can play 1080p video just fine.

[Jay Bee]

Your system specs are fine for CoreAVC. You forgot to mention in your post what the actual problem is that you are trying to solve. What files don't work? What files do work?

[foxyshadis]

The point of the CCCP is that you'd be really shocked to know how many settings have to be changed from the defaults to ensure maximum idiot-proof compatibility.

A great example of a common issue is the Oblivion issue; Oblivion uses DirectShow for sound playback, which results in all sorts of problems with FFDshow, which by default doesn't blacklist the program.

???? Oblivion and morrowind (plus explorer) were the very first things put in the blacklist, with its initial introduction. The changelist is outdated anyway, CCCP's ffdshow is updated and no longer has an "overlay mixer", and the old & new options have always defaulted to intermediate state, since tryouts anyway. (I was overruled on the dropdown suggestion.) YV12 is certainly faster, but lower quality in a number of cards, even new ones selling today, so it'll probably never be enabled. But I can accept their desire for max speed, even as I think most people don't need it as much as 2-3 years ago.

Anyway, don't mean to start an argument. One of the most interesting aspects of CCCP is that it will pre-emptively disable crappy filters that can interfere with it, which is really helpful when you don't even know what's on it.

[mjr4077au]

It was probably the wrong forum to mention I use K-Lite but I do and I will probably keep using it.

FFDShow as mentioned already has things in it's blacklist by default.

K-Lite gives yo a choice of renderers.

K-Lite no longer install Morgan and it always gave you the option to remove it and even then, it always strongly discouraged using it.

K-Lite gives you the choice for Normalization or not.

K-Lite seems to disable MPC's internal filters when 3rd party ones are installed.

K-Lite never installs "all filters". You can only choose the Gabest or Haali Matroska filter. You cannot select both.


It's effort to answer more but as I said, I recommend K-Lite for tweakers like me as it has more customization. And with Vista, I think the latest filters are always required. I don't want to use 5 month old crap on Vista. And as said, I like G-Spot and other things it offers to me such as Native FLAC support.

It's like Formula 1 or something, you might support Honda and I might support Williams or something, there is no right or wrong answer.

I did deliberately download an old K-Lite to see what it was like, and yeah, it was ass-end. But a lot has changed since then. If you don't trust it on your PC, dust off a Pentium III or something. You might not be impressed, but you might change your stance on it's stability and other issues that used to be apparant.


EDIT: I am in no way saying CCCP is crap. It's an excellent Codec Pack that is pretty much garanteed to work. But what I am saying is K-Lite does too (If you know what you're doing). Anyway, this is a complete thread hijack, and for that, I am sorry to the original poster. You need to basically upgrade your PC for better 1080p support. I think RAM is likely to be fine, but since it's cheap, throw another GB in there. I fear you'll need a major upgrade though to play your 1080p streams.

[Dark Shikari]

And with Vista, I think the latest filters are always required. I don't want to use 5 month old crap on Vista.Wait, so you want the best versions of everything, but at the same time you're using Vista...? ;) That's like putting shiny rims on a Pinto.

But honestly, if you're enough of a tweaker that you want to fully customize your codec setup, why the heck would you use a codec pack to begin with? The purpose of codec packs is to serve as playback tools for ordinary users, and K-Lite fails that in an absolutely epic fashion. If you doubt this, just stop by the CCCP forums and look at the test renders posted by newbies with playback issues; every single one that contains a K-Lite remnant has a problem caused by that remnant. This is why people hate K-Lite so much; its not even technical anymore; its simply the fact that the pack is singlehandedly responsible for screwing up playback on probably millions of end-users' computers. That's also why the CCCP is so conservative in terms of versions; the developers strongly err on the side of caution, perhaps too much (much like Debian's repositories!).

I would agree that if you're a power user, the tools it includes are probably useful; but at the same time, I see people constantly saying "download K-Lite!" to people who have absolutely no clue about what DirectShow even is, let alone how it works.

Player :
- Media Player Classic [version 6.4.9.1]
• FFDShow :
- FFDShow [rev. 1627]
- extra plugins
- FFDShow VFW interface
• DirectShow video filters :
- XviD [version 1.1.3]
- DivX [version 6.6.1.1]
- On2 VP6 [version 6.4.2.0]
- On2 VP7 [version 7.0.10.0]
- MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 (Cyberlink) [version 6.0.0.3402]
- MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 (DScaler5) [version 0.0.8.0]
- MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 (Gabest) [version 1.0.0.3]
- MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 (MainConcept) [version 1.0.0.78]
- MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 (Ligos) [version 4.0.0.77]
• VFW video codecs :
- XviD [version 1.2.0-dev build 2006-11-08]
- DivX Pro [version 6.6.1.1]
- x264 [rev. 655]
- Windows Media 9 VCM [version 9.0.1.1184]
- On2 VP6 [version 6.4.2.0] [Encoding]
- On2 VP7 [version 7.0.10.0] [Encoding]
- Intel Indeo [version 5.2562.15.54]
- Intel Indeo [version 4.51.16.2]
- Intel Indeo [version 3.24.15.03]
- Intel I.263 [version 2.55.1.16]
- huffyuv [version 2.1.1 CCE Patch 0.2.5]
- I420 (Helix) [version 1.2]
- YV12 (Helix) [version 1.2]
• DirectShow audio filters :
- MP3 (Fraunhofer) [version 1.9.0.311]
- AC3/DTS/LPCM/MP1/MP2 (AC3Filter) [version 1.30b]
- MP1/MP2 (MainConcept) [version 1.0.0.78]
- Vorbis (CoreVorbis) [version 1.1.0.79]
- AAC (CoreAAC) [version 1.2.0.575]
- MusePack [version 1.0.0.3]
- Monkey's Audio [version 1.00]
- WavPack (CoreWavPack) [version 1.1.0]
- FLAC (illiminable) [version 0.73.1936]
• ACM audio codecs :
- MP3 (Fraunhofer) [version 3.4.0.0]
- MP3 (LAME) [version 3.97]
- AC3 (ffcHandler) [version 1.3.1]
- Vorbis [version 0.0.3.6]
- DivX ;) Audio [version 4.2.0.0]
• DirectShow source filters :
- AVI splitter (Gabest) [version 1.0.0.7]
- AVI splitter (Haali Media Splitter) [version 1.7.359.22]
- MP4 splitter (Haali Media Splitter) [version 1.7.359.22]
- MP4 splitter (Gabest) [version 1.0.0.3]
- Matroska splitter (Haali Media Splitter) [version 1.7.359.22]
- Matroska splitter (Gabest) [version 1.0.2.9]
- Ogg splitter (Haali Media Splitter) [version 1.7.359.22]
- Ogg splitter (Gabest) [version 1.0.0.0]
- FLV splitter (Gabest) [version 1.0.0.1]
- MPEG TS splitter (Haali Media Splitter) [version 1.7.359.22]
- MPEG PS splitter (Cyberlink) [version 1.0.0.4528]
- MPEG PS splitter (Gabest) [version 1.0.0.3]
- MPEG PS splitter (Haali Media Splitter) [version 1.7.359.22]
- MPEG PS splitter (MainConcept) [version 1.0.1.20]
- MPEG PS splitter (Elecard) [version 1.0.31.51211]
- MPEG PS splitter (Ligos) [version 4.0.0.77]
- MP3 Source (DCoder) [version 1.3]
- AC3/DTS Source (AC3File) [version 0.4b]
- SHOUTcast Source [version 1.0.0.1]
- AAC parser (Orban) [version 1.0.27]

I mean seriously, looking at that, that is an absolutely ridiculous number of codecs to be handing your ordinary user! Also note how many are illegally pirated, which suggests that K-Lite discussion on this forum violates Rule 6.

[mjr4077au]

I dual boot with Vista. I am a power user, but I am also lazy. I work a job at a ISP dealing with nubs day in and day out - 8hrs a day. When I come home, I don't fix anything till the weekend. If my PC dies mid-week, I drag out whatever I can get thats working from the closed till the weekend.

I have no clue where you got that list, but 1/2 that stuff isn't even in the latest Mega Pack. I use the Full Pack btw. But back to what I was saying. It DOESN'T install them all. YOU as the end-user choose. That is why I said for ADVANCED users only.

I don't just support K-Lite. When I was doing a job at work, I recommended CCCP and nothing else. I support whatever is best for the situation at hand.

This is what the "Mega" has: http://www.codecguide.com/features_mega.htm. I will be the first to admit, that's too much for the average user. If I was recommending K-Lite for an average person, I'd recommend the "Standard" Pack.

As far is this goes though, I think this is getting out of hand. No matter how much you push CCCP and no matter how much I apparantly pust K-Lite, it's the end-user's choice. If you really, really want to continue talking about this, PM me. Leave this ppor guy's thread in peace. For now, I think we'll have to agree to disagree.

[Markstar]

Thank you guys so far for your replies!!! I couldn't install a 2nd XP yet, will do so on Sunday (I hope).

Your system specs are fine for CoreAVC. You forgot to mention in your post what the actual problem is that you are trying to solve. What files don't work? What files do work?

All "normal" DVD backups work (DivX, XviD, Matroska), no matter how high the bitrate or if AC-3 is used.

All HD files I have (1080p VC-1 and H.264) are slow and skip the sound after ~5 seconds and of course the sound goes out of sync.

I realize one of those graphic cards with integrated decoder could probably improve the situation, but I don't have the money right now to spend $200 on one and my 6800 GT is still faster than a cheap Radeon 2600.

Plus, I seriously doubt that my system really is to slow. My guess would be that while looking to get the HD video working in the first place (took me a while to get the VC-1 to play at all) and installing all kinds of stuff, somehow my settings got messed up. But I don't know what to look for. I've installed ffdshow (for MP4) a while ago, but I never really configured it. Same goes for MPC - I changed the internal filter so I'd get the AC-3 working in SPDIF, but never changed anything else.

So what would your minimal recommended codec installs be to get VC-1 and H.264 working? Is the CoreAVC enough (my guess would be no as it only has options to configre H.264)? Or should I start with the CCCP? In my experience, the fewer codecs installed, the better it is (same goes for all Windows programs).

[mjr4077au]

It's not the bitrate thats the problem. HDD's can be read at above 30MB/s constant. It's the resolution. The highest resolution on a DVD is 720x576 (PAL DVD) and it's not that high. 1920x1080 is more than double that. Almost 3x the horizontal resolution and almost double the vertical resolution.

A P4 @ 2GHz would even probably play an x264 DVD backup without sync problems. In my opinion, while a NVIDIA PureVideo card or something similar will probably help, it's only a band-aid solution and not a wise one. It's entirely up to you, but I'd be saving pennies for a P35-based board and maybe a Core 2 Duo E6550 or something.

[Jay Bee]

OK, so first of all you need to be aware of which of the installed decoders are actually being used during playback. In MPC look under right-click/filters while playing a video. For AVC files "CoreAVC" needs to be in the list and for VC-1 "WMVideo Decoder DMO". If they aren't then you need to set them up as preferred decoders under options/external filters.

[Markstar]

Ahh, it appear I have been too stupid after all, at least for H.264. :o

I simply assumed that after I configured CoreAVC and added it to the external filters in MPC, it would do it automatically, but this was not the case. After I disabled H.264/AVC in the ffdshow in video decoder configuration, it worked like a charm (even though I get an error at the end: An exception occurred while trying to run "ffdshow.ax,configure"). :thanks:

But I still have the problem with the VC-1 file. There the filter is [i]WMVideo Decoder DMO. :(

[Jay Bee]

With vc-1 the only thing you can really do is use PowerDVD which has a very efficient vc-1 decoder that can't be used in other players. The microsoft decoder only really works well when dxva is available, which is not the case for your card. And another thing it likes is Dual Channel RAM.

[Markstar]

Thanks Jay Bee.

I have Dual Channel RAM so that's not it. But I will try the PowerDVD Demo to see if that works (even though for the price of PowerDVD, I might as well buy a new graphic card). ;)

[burfadel]

What driver version are you using? The latest 'beta' is 169.12, and I can assure you that runs fine! On my 8600gts and on friends 7600GT, it works perfectly.

For XP & XP x64, I think only up to 169.09 is available, but they work fine too.

Graphics drivers are very important for speed, if you're using the original drivers that came on the disk, or the ones with Windows, then is DEFINATELY!!! time to update them. Normally beta products aren't necessarily recommended, but the Forceware beta's are fine. The official version is always a long way behind, and in fact most of the latest drivers are usually way ahead of the 'official' ones. The beta's don't clash with the unsigned drivers crap on Vista x64 either - they're signed beta's! (work that one out)

[Markstar]

I used 163.71 before, 169.09 doesn't make a difference.

Also, PowerDVD sucks imho. I installed it and it had even more problems with it than my dear Media Player Classic. :(

Oh well, I'm giving up for now. It's good to know that I can play at least some HD content, I will include this in my future plan and probably focus on Blue-Ray (which I think is superior anyways, despite being more expensive).

[GamesSmash]

1. Go to: http://www.clamwin.com/
2. Install the OPEN SOURCE antivirus software
3. Update
4. Disconnect internet
5. Scan computer
6. Restart computer
7. Play video

Hope that helps

[DarkZell666]

What if you use mplayer with downscaling ?
ex:

mplayer "yourfile.ext" -vf scale=1024:-2


The cpu will still decode the full HD picture (you can't escape that anyway :p), but less picture data will be sent to the GPU, thus straining the motherboard, RAM, and the GPU itself less. It does sound wierd but has worked for me already :)

[Markstar]

@GamesSmash: No virus. It was is a fresh install and I did a thorough scan just to make sure.

@DarkZell666: Tried that. Still very choppy, however, it did tell me that the computer was to slow. :(
When I ran it with the -ao sdl option, the error message was gone (so was the sound which I guess was the idea), but the video was still too slow and MPlayer crashed a couple of times before I gave it up ("interrupted by signal 11 in module: decode_audio). Hmm.

[GamesSmash]

Then your only choice is to convert the video to xvid using .avs.

Don't worry, you can still get that 1280x960 resolution, but it will just be a bigger size.

You can always delete the converted file.

[blizard]

@GamesSmash: No virus. It was is a fresh install and I did a thorough scan just to make sure.

@DarkZell666: Tried that. Still very choppy, however, it did tell me that the computer was to slow. :(
When I ran it with the -ao sdl option, the error message was gone (so was the sound which I guess was the idea), but the video was still too slow and MPlayer crashed a couple of times before I gave it up ("interrupted by signal 11 in module: decode_audio). Hmm.

Did you make sure what output driver you set to use in MPlayer? There both DirectX with and without hardware acceleration. You can also use WIN32 driver for sound, but be aware that you must change WAVE in sound card (look for mixer where can control each channel) or sound codec back as it is a master control for sound on Windows and DirectSound will be very low for MPC.

Mplayer manual for different option (http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/man/en/mplayer.1.html)

-I hope you know that MPlayer make use of its own codec and aren't connected to DirectShow as MPC or WMP. That means that if you have problem to play anything it is more likely a problem with renderer or hardware driver as all decoding is done internal in MPlayer. (You should be able to see a window in back ground with verbose info about how a file is processed and what decoder option that are being made.)
There is also the option to use GL or GL2 for OpenGL instead of SDL/DirectX:acc. and Nvidia should have good support for OpenGL.


FFDSHOW: did you by any accident have any post processing active when you made use of libavcodecs decoding for H.264/AVC? In most cases libavcodec is very good to decode HD content, but if you re-size or do anything else in your filter chain, then it might be too much at 1080p. FFDSHOW should make use of hardware capabilities on your CPU like SSE, MMX etc to decode H.264/AVC, so I think it is as good as CoreAVC to do that task.

What are your screen resolution? Is it CRT or LCD? It could be that your would have better result with screen resolution that is more matching HD resolution...

[Markstar]

Then your only choice is to convert the video to xvid using .avs.

Don't worry, you can still get that 1280x960 resolution, but it will just be a bigger size.

You can always delete the converted file.Hmm, beside the fact that I'd have to get into the whole HD encoding process first, the recode would probably take hours or maybe days per movie.

For me, this is simply not worth it at the moment. While 1080p does look better on the screen when you sit right in front of it, as soon as I sit on the couch I can hardly tell the difference (24" screen, 40" TV).

@blizard: Thank you (and the others, too, of course) for your detailed reply. I will look into MPlayer's the more advanced settings soon (Christmas stress right now).

Post-processing was/is disabled - it's pretty much at the default settings.

Yes, I am currently only running at a 1280*1024 resolution so the 1080p video files get resized. I have tried a neighbors 24" (a Mac - urgh, which wasn't able to play the VC-1 of course) for a quality check.

Interestingly, I made a fresh install of WinXP and now I don't get the VC-1 files to play at all anymore. :rolleyes:
No biggy, though, I dangled my feet in the world of HD, liked what I saw but wasn't really that impressed. You can obviously tell the difference when you compare screenshots, but I found that there is not that much of a difference in the "viewing experience", at least not for me. For me, even the jump from stereo to AC-3 sound was much more earth shattering.

I hope this will change one day when I get a 1080p beamer and can really tell the difference from my couch (and by then I'll certainly have a graphic card that supports HD decoding).

For now, I'm happy with normal DVDs (I know, it's sacrilege, especially for someone like me who loves movies).

Again, thank you guys for your help! :cool: