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    1080P Playback with T61P OK?

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by MNguyen, Feb 10, 2009.

  1. MNguyen

    MNguyen Notebook Geek

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    Thinking of hooking my T61p (Have the Quadro FX 570M 128MB RAM Card) to a 1080P HDTV and watching 1080P content through VGA. Should I expect any issues in terms of the playback? Sound will just be through Stereo, so no extra CPU usage there.

    Thanks!
     
  2. namaiki

    namaiki "basically rocks" Super Moderator

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    Can you play 1080p content on your laptop screen without any issues?

    If so, you will probably not experience any problems playing 1080p content on your TV.
     
  3. MNguyen

    MNguyen Notebook Geek

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    I actually haven't tried it yet. I was going to get a Blu-Ray drive later

    My T61P is a Dual Core 2.2 with 3GB RAM.
     
  4. namaiki

    namaiki "basically rocks" Super Moderator

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    Due to copy protection, I don't think you can play Blu-ray movies at 1080p through VGA. It will downscale to standard definition unless you play through HDCP or HDMI or whatever.
     
  5. t30power

    t30power Notebook Deity

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    VGA can only display resolutions supported at your time, mine is set max at 1360x760 pixels.

    1080p playback on my T61 is sluggish: C2D T81002.1GHz + GMAx3100, the video lags, I'm not sure if XP cannot handle high-def video, I'll try Win7 later this week.
     
  6. namaiki

    namaiki "basically rocks" Super Moderator

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    What do you mean at your time?

    VGA-out max is 2048x1536

    Also, what program are you using to play the video on your T61?
     
  7. t30power

    t30power Notebook Deity

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    Well my specific HDTV LCD only allows up to that resolution, but I'm unsure of other TV's.

    I use VLC Media player to playback HD content, playback is as if I'm viewing a DVD on a ancient computer, although I know a C2D is sufficient to playback at those high-res right.
     
  8. namaiki

    namaiki "basically rocks" Super Moderator

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    What kind of video is it? Blu-ray, MKV, etc..

    If from a file, I'd recommend you try the combination of CCCP + DivX7 (DivX7 link is a walkthrough for how to set it up in conjunction with CCCP).
     
  9. jonlumpkin

    jonlumpkin NBR Transmogrifier

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    I think it will work fine with the Quadro FX.

    The GMA x3100 does NOT accelerate decoding of AVC/VC-1 (e.g. Blu-Ray). This is the one big advantage of the x4500 (and why I am now willing to accept integrated graphics). I believe, but have not verified, that the Quadro supports this decoding as most Nvidia/ATI dedicated cards produced in the last few years do.

    This hardware acceleration is essential because without it, h264 (especially at Blu-Ray bitrates) requires a substantial amount of CPU power to decode (my old T40 w/ a 1.5GHz Pentium M had serious trouble with 720P h264 MKVs [my new x200 Tablet has no issues at all due to the GPU])

    I don't think Blu-Ray over VGA will be a problem. That is only an issue if/when the studios decide to set the analog hole flag, even then it should still output at 960x540 (slightly above DVD quality). I think the only issue at moment is playing back HD movies from iTunes on a new Macbook with mini-DisplayPort (VGA isn't allowed here).
     
  10. MNguyen

    MNguyen Notebook Geek

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    I plan to do Blu-Ray, regarding the software I would probably use Media Player Classic or Windows Media Player. The only content I have that I could try 1080P on is a 1080P version of Terminator 2 that only works with Windows Media Player (bonus in a DVD release a few years back). I could maybe download a 1080p trailer, but my ability to download is a bit limited, and 1080p files are huge.
     
  11. jonlumpkin

    jonlumpkin NBR Transmogrifier

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    I don't think Media Player Classic or WMP support Blu-Ray (due to the opressive DRM). I think the only thing that works is a very specific version of PowerDVD w/ Blu-Ray support.

    The best example of a Blu-Ray class video (that will play in MPC, WMP, or VLC) is Elephants Dream. This is 1080P h264 with a bitrate of 10+ mbps. This isn't quite Blu-Ray as that can reach 30+ mbps, but it is very close.

    If you can play Elephant's Dream with CPU usage below 40% then you have the hardware to support Blu-Ray. Conversely, if CPU usage is very high (e.g. above 75%), then your processor is having to bear most if not all of the load.
     
  12. MNguyen

    MNguyen Notebook Geek

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    Thanks, I'll check it out (Both Elephant's Dream and PowerDVD if I do get Blu-Ray)
     
  13. bsodder

    bsodder Notebook Evangelist

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    I run 1080p on my T61p w/ WMP - no problem, no lag, no heat. Just a note, though, many LCD HDTv's do not support 1080p on VGA - only 720p. Sony, for one does not support 1080p on VGA connector. Of those who have gotten VGA/1080p to work on other brands, most say that it looks better at 720p anyway. Even HDMI is outdated and pushing for bandwidth with full-bore Blueray.
     
  14. MNguyen

    MNguyen Notebook Geek

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    Hi bsodder, why would screens look better at 720p if the content is 1080p?
     
  15. jonlumpkin

    jonlumpkin NBR Transmogrifier

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    The VGA issue seems to be true of LG televisions as well.

    On my 37LG50 (1080P, 37"), I get great results at 1280x720, but when I go to 1920x1080 the aspect ratio is wrong (right 1/3 of screen is cut off).

    On HDMI (different computer) I get a small border around the whole image.
     
  16. Snakecharmed

    Snakecharmed Notebook Consultant

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    1080p via VGA looks great on my Samsung, but the text is too small for comfortable reading at normal TV viewing distances. I wouldn't say that 1360x768 via VGA looks better than 1080p on my TV; just easier to read.
     
  17. MNguyen

    MNguyen Notebook Geek

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    Well I was able to try out a 720P version of Speed Racer and 1080P version of Dark Knight on my T61P (1400 x 1050). Both ran fine, and I assume that connecting it to a 1900 x 1200 HDTV through VGA should be great as well. (I assume same performance)
     
  18. jonlumpkin

    jonlumpkin NBR Transmogrifier

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    Performance should be the same (especially if you disable the laptop LCD).