CPU usage too high! How to reduce?

[jimmyb]

Anyway you can sacrifice one of the PCI slots (non needed modem) and get a PCI video card?

Maybe something else in PCI can be substituted for USB?

[amac]

Onboard video does not immediately translate into slow for video. Most modern (e.g. last 5-7 years) ATI onboard chips have video acceleration built-in. My laptop has a low-end ATI onboard chip (IGP320m) and it can handle video display quite handily.

I don't know anything about Intel based onboard graphics chips so if you have one of those you should research the specifics of that chip itself.

For the records, if you don't have hardware-based video acceleration, then your high cpu utilization is to be expected.

Regarding the decoders, I use the Hauppauge provided ones (non-Css ...)

My desktop machine has a cpu roughly equivalent to yours but has a discreet ATI video card so that keeps the utilization around 20%.

Good luck.

You have not specified what your onboard chip is.

Originally Posted by thomjw

Jimmyb,
When I opened up the hp, I found that the motherboard has no AGP slot on it, and all of the PCI slots are taken up. So, I'm stuck with the onboard video. I downloaded the Nvidia PureVideo Decoder trial and installed it. It did lower the cpu usage to 40-52%, but if I change the channel I'm watching, it locks up the computer. I tried rebooting and trying this several times, and it does the same thing. I guess the onboard video gpu isn't strong enough or something for the nvidia decoder to work correctly? I'm going to have to uninstall the Nvidia Decoder and go back to the SageTV software encoder. So, I can't try another video card with this motherboard. If I had the money I would just upgrade the computer to something newer, or get a newer motherboard but I can't afford it right now. Thanks for the tip though about the newer nvidia video card though, I'm sure that would probably work for me too if I had an AGP slot to try one.

[thomjw]

Hi all,
I checked and the onboard video is: Intel 810e (on motherboard). I looked up the motherboard name online and on hp's site for the machine name, it is a Xt963, it is a walmart special from a couple of years ago. The description says that it has shared architecture of the memory for the video. I have the memory maxed at 512mb, which it will only take in 2 x 256mb sticks, it won't even let me put in a single 512mb stick. It's been pretty stable, but it has no AGP slot for a video card, and it only has 3 pci slots. 2 of them are taken up by the pvr-150 hauppauge cards for sagetv. I had to remove the modem card to do that. I use cable internet, which is connected by an ethernet/usb adapter plugged into the usb port on the back of the machine. I did try the intervideo non-css decoder in the setup of sage, and it works fine without the hack in place (89-90% usage though), and with the hack on (1) settings in registry of both files, I can't use the intervideo non-css decoder, if I do, it gives me the small square boxes all over the screen, and the video is choppy and lagging. I know I should upgrade the motherboard to something with an AGP slot, but I can't afford it right now. When I get the money I'll probably get a better motherboard and use an Athlon XP 2200+ processor that I have laying around from another computer that the motherboard died in. Then I can put a decent motherboard in the hp to use with the sagetv setup. Any suggestions about which video card would be appreciated. One of you above suggested the nvidia 6000 series with 256mb on it? I would like to get one for a reasonable price around $50? if that is possible. Well, at least from all the help everyone has offered it does seem that my large cpu usage is because of the limits of the onboard video and the 1.2 celeron processor. At least now I know that with the better setup I could achieve a lower cpu usage and still use the machine for other things occasionally.

[heffe2001]

If you're planning on upgrading, I'd go with an entirely new machine. Those HP's usually have very small power supplies in them, and any bigger board will severely tax it. You'd be better off to keep the HP as-is, use it for a desktop PC, and build a PC in a clone type case with a larger power supply.

[amac]

I'm not sure what hack was used as mentioned in the original post. The Intel 810e does have hardware motion compensation, so it's a matter of enabling it in the registry, often for each decoder being used.

I checked and I believe PowerDVD and WinDVD seem to support the Intel chip. I thought the Hauppauge decoder was a derivative of one of those (but perhaps it dropped support for older chipsets).

Prior to modifying the registry settings, my CPU was around 70% (or so I recall). If you're conversant with the Windows registry, try looking in the registry for bits to tweak with names that include 'DXVA' and 'HWMC'. I set the value of each of those to 1.

Can't help beyond that, sorry. Good luck!

[thomjw]

Amac,
I did that registry hack already. It has you change the value 0 to 1 in the two files of the hxwa and dixva or something like that. Like I said in the earlier post, when I downloaded the trial Nvidia decoder, it did lower the cpu usage to a much better level, but it would lock up the computer every time I tried to change the channel of a tv show I was watching. So, I have to remove the Nvidia decoder. I would really love to get this working better in this hp xt963 1.2 celeron because it is a great little computer otherwise. It will work fine with the default settings in sage as far as the decoder, but that way it keeps the cpu usage so high that when I try recording a tv show while I am watching another tv show, it sacrifices the recording quality. I think this is due to the sage default decoder using software which eats up the cpu usage.

[stanger89]

What do you have for a tuner? Most hardware encoders are pretty much impervious to other stuff going on.

[polen]

I'm not sure if this will work for your setup, but try it anyways.

• Install the NVidia PureVideo demo you have.
• run SageTV, do not watch TV, go directly to Setup/Detailed Setup.
• under Video/Audio set everthing to Default except Video Renderer, set it to OverLay.
• under Advanced make sure Full Screen Exclusive is OFF and make sure 3D accell is off.
• Go back one screen and close SageTV.
• run SageTV and watch TV. make sure SageTV is not in fullscreen mode.
• Look in you systray, icons next to the clock, and open up the nvidia decoder properties in the systray. set the De-Interlace Control to Automatic, click apply

You may also need to make sure you have Java1.4.x version

I hope this helps for you.

-Polen

[thomjw]

Hi Polen,
I tried what you suggested. It didn't work. It worked, but it didn't decrease the blotches of squares all over the screen in live tv. Nothing seems to make it better. I just went into the registry and removed the hack. I changed them back to the value of 0. (the dxva and hw something). And then I had to change the detailed setup to default on all the video settings. I tried to still use the nvidia decoder but it was terrible blotches and squares on the screen. I even tried the intervideo non-css decoder and it was the same. The only thing that seems to work well is the default settings. And, the cpu usage is back up to 70+%. I guess I will just have to get a better processor and motherboard and a good add on video card, the onboard video just isn't cutting it. Thanks for your help.

[stanger89]

I didn't see this earlier...

Originally Posted by thomjw

Hi all,
I checked and the onboard video is: Intel 810e (on motherboard). I looked up the motherboard name online and on hp's site for the machine name, it is a Xt963, it is a walmart special from a couple of years ago.

Honestly with that setup, there's not much you can do. I seriously doubt the onboard video offers any hardware accelleration, or if it does, it's lame. Probably explains the boxes with DXVA enabled.

I know I should upgrade the motherboard to something with an AGP slot, but I can't afford it right now. When I get the money I'll probably get a better motherboard and use an Athlon XP 2200+ processor that I have laying around from another computer that the motherboard died in.

Unfortunately it looks like all I've got is bad news in this post. I looked quick and newegg, and there aren't any Socket A (Athlon XP) boards I'd touch with a 10' pole. All that's left is SiS or VIA based boards, and those are highly problem-prone with PCI devices. Same with Socket 370 boards for your Celeron.

Then I can put a decent motherboard in the hp to use with the sagetv setup. Any suggestions about which video card would be appreciated.

Honest opinion? Junk the HP, it's not worth upgrading. Save until you can get a whole new PC, you can build a very nice one for well under <$500, and it will server you much better than trying to resurect either of your current ones.

[polen]

I didn't want to say it, but Stanger is right.

Frey really needs to up there minimum requirements for a system.

-Polen

[blade]

Originally Posted by polen

I didn't want to say it, but Stanger is right.

Frey really needs to up there minimum requirements for a system.

-Polen

Maybe a little bit, just depends on your hardware. My server is a celeron 366 and I regularly capture 4 shows at once, run one instance of comskip as the shows record, and stream to two clients. Needless to say cpu usage is always at 100% even when capturing 1 show because of comskip. I have no problems, of course it does nothing but act as a Sage server. I keep saying I'll upgrade it, but at this point I just want to see how long I can keep using such an old system.

One of my clients is a XP-1700 underclocked to 1100 mhz which makes it the equivalent of an XP-1100 (if there were such a thing) and it only uses 40-50% cpu with a 6200 agp card.

I have no doubts thomjw could get acceptable playback if a decent agp card could be added. I had a GeForce3 running with VMR9 at 1280*1024 before getting the 6200. It took a lot of tweaking, but I eventually got smooth playback out of it.