Hi Def Files won't play well on my laptop

Author	Post
Walter All-Star Member 1445 Posts 3/05	Posted - Dec 6 2009 : 6:59PM The pictures freeze and lag far behind the audio. I have a relatively new laptop - I bought it around a year ago. The specifics are: 32-bit Vista OS Intel (R) Core (TM)2 Duo CPU @1.66 GHz 2.00 GB RAM The graphics card (I think this is a graphics card) is: Mobile Intel (R) 965 Express Chipset Family Could some of you kind souls please help me figure out what I need to do to get 720p and 1080p files to play well on my machine? Thanks. [Link]
Harri Patel Senior Member #SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele 5110 Posts 3/03	Posted - Dec 6 2009 : 9:14PM I don't know anything about that chipset. One thing you can try, for HD files other than .wmv files, is to download the free Splash Lite player from mirillis.com - make sure to go into Settings -> Video and enable hardware acceleration, if that option isn't grayed out. [Link]
BigBobxxx Senior Member 2681 Posts 5/04	Posted - Dec 6 2009 : 9:59PM Are you talking about streaming, about playing files that have already been downloaded to your desktop, or about playing DVDs? Also, 2 GB RAM is about the bare minimum to operate Vista (don't believe anything lower). You will be much happier if you increase your RAM to 3 or 4 GB. If you are streaming, your problems could also be due to the speed of your Internet connection. If playback stops frequently to "buffer," this would be indicative of speed issues. [Link]
Walter All-Star Member 1445 Posts 3/05	Posted - Dec 6 2009 : 11:39PM Thanks Harri, I tried your suggestion. The "Use Graphics Acceleration" option was grayed out. Also, the player would not play the Hi-Def (1080p or 720p) videos at all. Perhaps you are using a pay version? In contrast, Media Player Classic and Windows Media Player will play these files, but with the problems I mentioned in my initial post. Thanks for your advice Bob. I have the same problems with streaming HD that I have with downloaded HD files. I think I can buy extra RAM at an electronics store, and they will probably even install it for me. If that is the case, then I will shell out the extra cash. I was wondering whether the problem was RAM related, graphics card/chipset related, or something else entirely. I don't mind spending money on this, but I wanted to avoid being sold the kitchen sink at my local store if it didn't fix this problem. With regards to DVDs, the DVD player on my computer is standard definition and seems to work adequately, although I don't use it frequently since I have a stand alone DVD player to watch DVDs. [Link]
Redish Poetic Moderator Long and Cursive road to the Ivory Pagoda in the province of Loraine 4076 Posts 12/03	Posted - Dec 7 2009 : 12:36AM Have you tried other players like VLC? Look under Control Panel/Hardware and Sound/Device Manager/Display Adapters. You should see something like NVidia GForce 9800, Acer x300 or something like that. If there isn't anything listed, then there isn't a card, its using motherboard/integrated video and stealing RAM to run. Could be drivers as well. [Link]

Walter All-Star Member 1445 Posts 3/05	Posted - Dec 7 2009 : 8:37AM "Mobile Intel (R) 965 Express Chipset Family" is listed under Display Adapters on my machine. I don't know whether this is a graphics card or not. I have the same results (freezing picture) with Windows Media Player and Media Player Classic. [Link]
RandomPrecision Senior Member Enjoy! 8175 Posts 3/06	Posted - Dec 7 2009 : 9:06AM There is a small program called Reclock. Give it a try. It might be hard to find. Occasionally, it can be your monitor that has issues with playing video. Edit - Here is a page for it. I don't know if the download link is working. If you get it, you will probably have to fiddle with the settings until you find one that works. Edited by - randomprecision on 12/7/2009 9:14:24 AM [Link]
BigBobxxx Senior Member 2681 Posts 5/04	Posted - Dec 7 2009 : 9:15AM Redish wrote: You should see something like NVidia GForce 9800, Acer x300 or something like that. If there isn't anything listed, then there isn't a card, its using motherboard/integrated video and stealing RAM to run. Click to expand You probably are using "motherboard/integrated video" which uses/shares the computer's RAM to operate (i.e. there is no dedicated separate RAM on a separate video card). The amount that is used/set-aside for video CAN be adjusted within certain limits. If I remember correctly, if you go into the "bias/set-up" routine (as the computer boots by tapping on F10 or some such), this is where the changes are made. You can probably choose between 64, 128 or 256 MB of RAM to allocate to the video memory. Try selecting the highest amount your computer will permit (256 MB would probably be as high as you need to go). Also, upgrading your RAM to 3 or 4 GB, as I previously mentioned, will help every aspect of your computer's operation. Even though it may not be the sole cure for your problem, it will still be an important part of the solution. You will probably see some kind of comment, as to which "F" key to use, when you boot from a cold start (just before Windows begins to boot). Just keep tapping that "F" key repeatedly, about twice a second, until you hear a beep. Then the CMOS screen(s) will appear. This sounds harder than it actually is. :) [Link]
RandomPrecision Senior Member Enjoy! 8175 Posts 3/06	Posted - Dec 7 2009 : 11:38AM BigBobxxx wrote: Also, upgrading your RAM to 3 or 4 GB, as I previously mentioned, will help every aspect of your computer's operation. Even though it may not be the sole cure for your problem, it will still be an important part of the solution. Click to expand If he has a thumb drive, would ReadyBoost be as effective as adding more RAM? [Link]
BigBobxxx Senior Member 2681 Posts 5/04	Posted - Dec 7 2009 : 12:46PM Maybe, but it's no substitute for real physical RAM memory. And, 2 GB is really on the low-end of functional when using Vista. Also, does Walter ever de-frag his hard-drive? Is there at least 20% of his "C" drive available? These are two important considerations -- especially when dealing with larger files. Microsoft Windows Vista & ReadyBoost: Does it Make a Difference? Is a RAM enhancement really just a ReadyBoost away? Explore the features: Windows ReadyBoost Is your flash drive fast enough for Vista's ReadyBoost? Lets face it Ready-Boost is a fancy word for making your USB Flash drive hold the computers page file.<brReady-Boost does not give you extra memory as such but having the page file on a USB flash drive makes it much faster than writing to your hard disk so applications will run faster. [Link]
Redish Poetic Moderator Long and Cursive road to the Ivory Pagoda in the province of Loraine 4076 Posts 12/03	Posted - Dec 7 2009 : 2:26PM Walter wrote: "Mobile Intel (R) 965 Express Chipset Family" is listed under Display Adapters on my machine. I don't know whether this is a graphics card or not. Click to expand Then you don't have a graphics card with dedicated memory and your system is stealing RAM to run. The Chipset listing means it is motherboard video. follow what Bob has said; defrag hard drive, clear space, upgrade RAM. RAM should be cheap but the installation wont be. There is no easy button to get into a laptop to install RAM. It also depends on how many slots for RAM you have. I'm guessing four slots of 512. You might have to buy four sticks of 1 G. That plus labor for the install, a new laptop maybe on your horizon. Has it started doing this recently or has it always done this? Defragging and clearing space maybe easy fixes for this. [Link]
Harri Patel Senior Member #SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele 5110 Posts 3/03	Posted - Dec 7 2009 : 2:38PM Walter wrote: Thanks Harri, I tried your suggestion. The "Use Graphics Acceleration" option was grayed out. Also, the player would not play the Hi-Def (1080p or 720p) videos at all. Perhaps you are using a pay version? Click to expand I'm using the free version. I've noticed that sometimes when you try to play a file, there will be a loooooooooong pause before anything starts happening, so be patient with it. But without the hardware acceleration, I'm not sure if this program will do anything for you that other players won't. Next thing I would try would be going into the BIOS when you boot the machine and looking at/changing the amount of RAM the integrated graphics is using. It might be that it's set at 64MB as a default value; change it to 256. Sometimes it's hard to understand the BIOS options; look for the word "aperture." If you give us the make and model number of the machine, we might be able to give you more specific comments. [Link]
Harri Patel Senior Member #SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele 5110 Posts 3/03	Posted - Dec 7 2009 : 2:41PM Also, are you closing everything else before you try to play these files? Have you looked at the CPU Usage display in the Task Manager (or whatever it might be called in Vista) when you try to play a HD file? Are the cores being maxed out? [Link]
Redish Poetic Moderator Long and Cursive road to the Ivory Pagoda in the province of Loraine 4076 Posts 12/03	Posted - Dec 7 2009 : 3:30PM Its still Task Manager [Link]
Walter All-Star Member 1445 Posts 3/05	Posted - Dec 7 2009 : 11:39PM Make: Toshiba Model: Qosmio F45-AV411 Yes. I have this problem even when I close all other applications. I'm pretty sure I can increase my RAM 4 GB. Thanks. [Link]

Harri Patel Senior Member #SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele 5110 Posts 3/03	Posted - Dec 8 2009 : 1:28AM http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/support/jsp/modelContentp?ct=SB&os=&category=&moid=1754951&rpn=PQF43U&modelFilter=F45-AV411&selCategory=3&selFamily=804517 It looks like if you go Start --> All Programs --> Toshiba --> Utilities --> HWSetup --> "Display" tab, you'll be able to change default options for the display (although it doesn't say what options). This might be where you can set how much of the system RAM the integrated graphics is using. [Link]
Walter All-Star Member 1445 Posts 3/05	Posted - Dec 9 2009 : 8:39PM Harri, HWSetup-> Display brings me to "This tab lets you select the Internal LCD and/or external monitor when thecomputer boots up." It is set to "Auto-selected". The other choice is "LCD+Analog RGB". The link doesn't take me to anything other than the users guide. I can't find relevant information there. Bob, I upgraded to 4GB. The problem has not improved. The guy at the computer store said that you can't add a graphics card to a laptop. I'm not sure what to do now. Does anyone ue their laptop to play HD videos? To be more precise, my goal is to watch the videos on my HDTV, which is connected to my laptop. However, to get this to work, I think that I need to get the videos playing on my laptop. Thanks. [Link]
BigBobxxx Senior Member 2681 Posts 5/04	Posted - Dec 9 2009 : 8:46PM ^ As I said earlier... You probably are using "motherboard/integrated video" which uses/shares the computer's RAM to operate (i.e. there is no dedicated separate RAM on a separate video card). The amount that is used/set-aside for video CAN be adjusted within certain limits. *If I remember correctly, if you go into the "bios/set-up" routine (as the computer boots by tapping on F10 or some such), this is where the changes are made.** You can probably choose between 64, 128 or 256 MB of RAM to allocate to the video memory. Try selecting the highest amount your computer will permit (256 MB would probably be as high as you need to go). Also, upgrading your RAM to 3 or 4 GB, as I previously mentioned, will help every aspect of your computer's operation. Even though it may not be the sole cure for your problem, it will still be an important part of the solution. * You will probably see some kind of comment, as to which "F" key to use, when you boot from a cold start (just before Windows begins to boot). Just keep tapping that "F" key repeatedly, about twice a second, until you hear a beep. Then the CMOS screen(s) will appear. This sounds harder than it actually is. :) Click to expand You STILL need to increase the amount of RAM being set aside for your built-in video. Edited by - BigBobxxx on 12/12/2009 5:42:08 AM [Link]
Harri Patel Senior Member #SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele 5110 Posts 3/03	Posted - Dec 9 2009 : 9:05PM Try this: right-click on a vacant area of your desktop select Properties --> "Settings" tab --> "Advanced" button --> "Adapter" tab What does it say on the "memory size" line? [Link]
BigBobxxx Senior Member 2681 Posts 5/04	Posted - Dec 10 2009 : 7:31PM ^ YES! This will at least show you (us) how much RAM is being set-aside for your video. Then we can go about increasing it (which will involve the "F" key during boot-up process" I've previously discussed). [Link]
Walter All-Star Member 1445 Posts 3/05	Posted - Dec 10 2009 : 10:59PM Is this stuff helpful? I got to it by right clicking on the desktop, and then selecting Graphics Properties -> Information. I'm guessing this is the Vista version of what you wanted me to do. Thanks! Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator Driver for Mobile Report Report Date: 12/10/2009 Report Time[hr:mm:ss]: 22:52:15 Driver Version: 7.14.10.1280 Operating System: Windows Vista (TM) Ultimate* , Service Pack 1 (6.0.6001) Default Language: English DirectX* Version: 10.0 Physical Memory: 3061 MB Minimum Graphics Memory: 8 MB Maximum Graphics Memory: 358 MB Graphics Memory in Use: 167 MB Processor: x86 family 6 Model 15 Stepping 13 Processor Speed: 1662 MHZ Vendor ID: 8086 Device ID: 2A02 Device Revision: 03 * Accelerator Information * Accelerator in Use: Mobile Intel(R) 965 Express Chipset Family Video BIOS: 1436 Current Graphics Mode: 1280 by 720 True Color (60 Hz) * Devices Connected to the Graphics Accelerator * Active Notebook Displays: 1 * Notebook * Monitor Name: Display Type: Digital Gamma Value: 2.20 DDC2 Protocol: Supported Maximum Image Size: Horizontal: Not Available Vertical: Not Available Monitor Supported Modes: 1280 by 800 (60 Hz) Display Power Management Support: Standby Mode: Not Supported Suspend Mode: Not Supported Active Off Mode: Not Supported Raw EDID: 00 ff ff ff ff ff ff 00 32 0c 00 dc 00 00 00 00 00 10 01 03 80 21 15 78 0a b3 40 99 59 53 8d 27 25 50 54 00 00 00 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 bc 1b 00 a0 50 20 17 30 30 20 36 00 4b cf 10 00 00 19 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 fe 00 4c 47 50 68 69 6c 69 70 73 4c 43 44 0a 00 00 00 fe 00 4c 50 31 35 34 57 58 34 2d 54 4c 44 32 00 43 * Other names and brands are the property of their respective owners. [Link]
Harri Patel Senior Member #SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele 5110 Posts 3/03	Posted - Dec 11 2009 : 3:29AM Walter wrote: Is this stuff helpful? I got to it by right clicking on the desktop, and then selecting Graphics Properties -> Information. I'm guessing this is the Vista version of what you wanted me to do. Thanks! Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator Driver for Mobile Report Report Date: 12/10/2009 Report Time[hr:mm:ss]: 22:52:15 Driver Version: 7.14.10.1280 Operating System: Windows Vista (TM) Ultimate* , Service Pack 1 (6.0.6001) Default Language: English DirectX* Version: 10.0 Physical Memory: 3061 MB Minimum Graphics Memory: 8 MB Maximum Graphics Memory: 358 MB Graphics Memory in Use: 167 MB Click to expand 358 MB and 167 MB seem like oddball numbers. I'm not sure what's going on here. There is a newer version of the display driver - version 7.14.10.1329. Can you figure out how to have your machine check for the newer version? (I don't have a Vista system, so I don't know exactly how you'd do it.) If not, you can go to the Toshiba website URL I put in one of my previous posts, click on the Downloads tab, and go to the 4th page, and locate the driver update dated 11/19/2007. Download and run the file. No guarantees that it will fix your problem, but at least it eliminates one possible issue. [Link]
Harri Patel Senior Member #SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele 5110 Posts 3/03	Posted - Dec 11 2009 : 3:31AM BTW, Walter, please drop me an e-mail. [Link]
BigBobxxx Senior Member 2681 Posts 5/04	Posted - Dec 11 2009 : 1:28PM Walter wrote: Bob, I upgraded to 4GB. The problem has not improved. The guy at the computer store said that you can't add a graphics card to a laptop. Click to expand Are you sure that you got 4 GB? Your post showing "Physical Memory: 3061 MB" (i.e. about 3 GB) would seem to call this into question. Your actual physical memory will equal the physical memory + the memory that your system is setting aside for the video. ALL your memory is being taken from the same source (i.e. your installed RAM). Is there some reason why you just won't do the "F" key (F-10?) routine I described for you at boot up? It is the only way to know for sure how much RAM is being set aside (from your total amount of installed RAM) for your video RAM. More importantly, it is the only way you are going to be able to actually change it (if necessary). FYI, I have never suggested you "add a graphics card to [your] laptop." The only suggestion I have seen in this thread was that, you find out IF your laptop had a separate video card, or if you had video/graphics from a built-in solution permanently attached to the motherboard. Higher-end laptops can and do have dedicated video cards -- with their own separate and dedicated RAM. We now know that your laptop does not. When was the last time you defragged your "C" drive? How much available hard-drive space is available on your "C" drive? How large is the "C" drive to start with? Is your system currently updated? When was the last time you went to Microsoft Update and updated your computer? In addition to "high-priority" updates, there are other updates that frequently get overlooked. You don't necessarily want them all (i.e. the ones in addition to the "high-priority" updates), but there are quite possibly optional updates for your built-in graphics/video AND for Windows Media Player. How do I access BIOS to change shared video memory values? Access/Enter Motherboard BIOS [Link]
Walter All-Star Member 1445 Posts 3/05	Posted - Dec 12 2009 : 1:40AM I'll try your guy's suggestions tomorrow morning. I'm not ignoring them, I've just been busy the last two days. Thanks. [Link]

RandomPrecision Senior Member Enjoy! 8175 Posts 3/06	Posted - Dec 12 2009 : 5:04AM Have you ever used the BIOS setup? I only ask because in case you don't know, it can be easy to screw something up big time in the BIOS but the main thing to remember is not to confirm any changes to anything you don't understand. I think most BIOS menus will always ask you to confirm anything you attempt to change before it will go into effect. Just go slow and read everything and think before you click or confirm and you should be fine. If you do accidentally confirm a change, go to the Exit menu and select "Exit without saving changes". [Link]
Walter All-Star Member 1445 Posts 3/05	Posted - Dec 12 2009 : 2:45PM Bob, I tried your suggestion about tapping F10 repeatedly at startup. It brings me to a screen that is blank except for a flashing cursor. This screen remained for several minutes and the computer did not seem to be doing anything, so I shut the machine off. I also tried the suggestion in the "Access / Enter Motherboard BIOS" link that you provided: cold start with escape held down until I hear several beeps, let go of escape and press F1. This brought up a screen that had some text that may have had the information you want, but it disappeared to quickly for me to read it. Then Vista started as usual. As an experiment, I did a cold start tapping F2, which brought me to a Set-Up screen that told me, among other things: System Memory = 640KB Extended Memory = 4184064 KB (I would guess that this is the 4GB of RAM) System BIOS version = 1.10 Unfortunately, there were no options for modifying or exploring these lines. I repeated the above step, but using F12 instead of F2. This brought up a System Utility Screen which lets you set the boot priority. After that, the options are the same as in the F2 experiment. I found that these settings could be modified directly in Vista by going to Start -> All Programs -> Toshiba -> Utilities -> HWSetup Alas, none of the above seems to answer your question. I run an automatically scheduled defrag every Wednesday. My C drive has 180 GB, of which 61GB is free. I have been storing these HD WMV files on an external hard drive (E) that has 1.5TB, of which 701GB is free. My media playing software is stored on my C drive; storing the players and the files on different drives shouldn't make a difference, should it? My important windows updates are up to date except for a new one that appeared today that I will update shortly. None of the updates (important or optional) that I haven't installed seem related to the problem. Harri, I downloaded the new driver, as you suggested. It didn't fix the problem. You have mail. Random, No, I haven't used the BIOS setup before now; I'm being careful though. All, Could it be a codec problem? According to this G-Spot utility that I have, the hd files use the WVC1 codec, which doesn't appear in my list of installed codecs. It is part of the standard codecs for Windows Media Player 11 for Vista. Microsoft does not seem to want to make it easy to reinstall this player or its codecs. Windows Media Player seems to come closer to being able to play the HD files than Media Player Classic, so maybe I should focus on this player first. It has the problem with pictures freezing, but at least the memory doesn't explode in Task Manager as it does with Media Player Classic. I think I have addressed (or at least tried to address) everyone's comments. I will probably continue pursuing Bob's suggestions regarding the BIOS settings. Other suggestions are of course still welcome. Thanks to everyone. [Link]
BigBobxxx Senior Member 2681 Posts 5/04	Posted - Dec 12 2009 : 6:38PM Walter wrote: Could it be a codec problem? According to this G-Spot utility that I have, the hd files use the WVC1 codec, which doesn't appear in my list of installed codecs. It is part of the standard codecs for Windows Media Player 11 for Vista. Microsoft does not seem to want to make it easy to reinstall this player or its codecs. Windows Media Player seems to come closer to being able to play the HD files than Media Player Classic, so maybe I should focus on this player first. It has the problem with pictures freezing, but at least the memory doesn't explode in Task Manager as it does with Media Player Classic. Click to expand How is MS making it difficult? I think getting "Windows Media Player 11 for Vista" back up and running is a top-priority for you. Media Player Classic 6.4.9 certainly looks like it could have codec issues (as it looks like you need to find and download what is needed). possible codec help? Why can't I normally reinstall Windows Media Player 11? Good luck. [Link]
Walter All-Star Member 1445 Posts 3/05	Posted - Dec 12 2009 : 8:34PM I wrote something somewhat confusing; Windows Media Player 11 is currently installed and plays standard definition files fine; I was wondering if there was a minor glitch in the codecs that I could fix by uninstalling and reinstalling the player. However, I wouldn't think this is worthwhile unless there is a decent chance that this is the case. The article you linked to describes how this is a process that takes several hours and basically involves uninstalling and reinstalling Vista. It listed a few less drastic alternatives, but they seem like a hassle too. I was just throwing the codec idea out into the air here in case someone thought, "Yeah, that's it, that's the problem". That is why I was going to pursue the BIOS settings approach; it seemed like a more likely solution overall if I could just figure out how to get to it. Overall, I find it hard to believe that this relatively young machine is already showing signs of being outdated by not playing high definition files well. I'm sure you guys understand. Thanks. [Link]
ninja1 Senior Member 2939 Posts 1/08	Posted - Dec 12 2009 : 9:39PM Are you sure the files are good? Have you successfully played them on another computer or device? Have you tried converting them to another codec which is more compatible to WMP 11? [Link]
Harri Patel Senior Member #SDNY he's all yours. -- Michael Steele 5110 Posts 3/03	Posted - Dec 12 2009 : 11:50PM On some machines, you get into the BIOS by pressing the DELETE key on start-up. Try that. The Toshiba documentation for that laptop seems to completely omit any mention of getting straight into the BIOS. Dunno what the deal with that is. BTW, you say you have version 1.10 of the BIOS; it looks like there have been several revisions, and it's up to 1.90 now. None of the described changes seem to have any obvious connection to the graphics performance, though, and the computer manufacturers generally say not to update the BIOS just for the hell of it, since there is a slight chance that something could go wrong and brick the machine. I, of course, have always ignored these warnings, and I haven't had a problem yet. It only takes a couple of minutes. If at all possible, do it while plugged into an Uninterruptible Power Source. [Link]
RandomPrecision Senior Member Enjoy! 8175 Posts 3/06	Posted - Dec 13 2009 : 5:47AM ^ Yes. Use the delete key to get into the BIOS. That is how it works on most computers I've used (and the one I have now). If you don't know, you have to use the arrow and enter keys to navigate and make selections in the BIOS menu. Your mouse won't work there. I definitely wouldn't recommend that he tries to update his BIOS on his own if he doesn't even know how to use it yet. Edited by - randomprecision on 12/13/2009 5:49:27 AM [Link]