PC Spec for PowerDVD

[cosaw]

Hello all,

Trying to get the minimum spec for modest HCPC wich will run PowerDVD without dropping frames before I buy a crt projector.

I can create the resolutions I need via powerstrip and my old Matrox G200 graphics card quite easily.

Now the suggested spec for PowerDVD is at least 400Mhz pentium II but my 500Mhz PIII is maxing out and it still can't keep up without dropping frames.

I remember when CPUs were slower and dvd players first came out everyone used hardware acceleration with a dvd mpeg2 decoder card. As CPUs got faster people used software run from their CPU.

What is the cheapest and/or best solution in my case.? Just keep uping the processor speed or get a secondhand graphics card with hardware acceleration like the later matrox cards G400-500.

I notice PowerDVD has a checkbox for "use hardware acceleration", does this pass duties completely to you graphics card or does it just assist the cpu in some way?

So to keep the cost down I'm looking for the minimum spec that won't drop frames! Afterall I can't see that once your running progresive scan, at the resolution you desire, without dropping frames, there can be much room for picture improvement within these parameters or am I wrong?

Any ideas welcome,

Thanks,

Simon

P.S. Where has the HCPC/HTPC forum gone?

[johndon]

The HCPC form is here: http://www.avforums.com/forums/a/

John

[cosaw]

Thanks for the info John I'll try and get this post moved.

Simon

[cosaw]

Hello any moderators I would be most grateful if you could move this thread to the HTPC/HCPC forum.

Many thanks,

Simon

I have PIII 550 and Matrox millennium G400: PowerDVD has hiccups here too (stops for a moment now and then, processor runs at nearly 100%). Haven't tried to fix it, but i guess my processor is too slow.

[stripe]

The cheapest way to fix this is buying a S/H Creative Labs Dxr3 card or the like. There was a few last week on Ebay going for a couple of quid. You can then download Creative's DVD playing software (Encore), which IIRC was pretty good.