[Geeba]

I did search this and can only really find an answer for VDPAU/live/linux..

But will an 8400GS PCI GFX card give me DXVA in windows XP?

I'm thinking it will have to be Vista/Win7?

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/167833

Thats the card - tinkering with a mate today that wants to move on from Xbox... but he wants to try it first...

2.8ghz 478 Celeron 1.5gb ram old 128Mb Geforce2 Ti card gives roughly Xbox performance - 720p is borderline currently (unless XviD)... it will start but drop count is huge on action scenes... optomised the PC as much as posible.. drivers, nothing loading at bootup etc..

[poofyhairguy]

That GPU will do 1080p, but not in XP. Heck, a kit that old needs Linux badly. It would easily play 1080p then.

Windows 7 would work, but the overall experience on a non-dual core is kinda painful (my Netbook has about the same amount of power).

But XP isn't an option any way you do it. Too old of an OS.

[Geeba]

Cheers PHG - I kinda guessed that XP wouldnt cut it

might have to try and source a 3.2ghz HT CPU and some more memory and see if it can crunch through HD with brute force perhap...

[poofyhairguy]

Just to let you know:

The amount of power needed to decode 1080p video in XBMC is a 2.5GHZ Core2Duo.

The amount of power needed to smoothly play 720p video in XBMC is a 1.6GHZ Core2Duo.

A Pentium 4, even a hyperthreaded 3.2GHZ Pentium 4, is half the power of a 1.6GHZ Core2Duo. That is why Pentium 4s died so unceremoniously a few years ago. The bitrate you hit on 720p action scenes can never be overcome with such old CPU tech.

If your friend MUST have HD content on that old rig there are four options:

1. Install XBMC Live. Seriously, XBMC Live plus a 8400 GS equal smooth 1080p playback. The best option I think.

2. Install Windows 7.

3. Use the DS Player build which allows for old school DVXA (aka XP compatible) support. Please note that DXVA1 is way worse than DXVA2 or VDPAU, so I would consider the machine to be limited to 720p.

4. Use another player that gets more with less CPU. Core AVC comes to mind- with that codec I can play 720p on my Netbook with the same approximate amount of power as a Pentium 4.