[SOLVED] Disappointment with the N4200's decoding capabilities / YouTube

Mialaret

Not sure really with whom to be disappointed most (:woohoo: )

Most 4K videos on YouTube are VP9 encoded.
Not all 4K videos on YouTube are also x264 encoded.

The Up Square with Pentium N4200 gets destroyed by VP9 encoded 4K videos, dropping about 30 % of frames.

So one has to use x264 (for example by simply using Edge), then 0 frames dropped. But I discovered some times ago that not all 4K videos are also encoded by YouTube in x264 and I fear only the old one work.

Theoretically, the N4200 is also optimized for VP8 decoding, but I don't know of any trick to force a browser to Stream in VP8, and I have no ideas how many 4K videos of YouTube are still available in this format.

Thank God for x264, but unfortunately I fear Google expressely limits 4K videos in x264 to promote its own VP9.


SOLUTION:

- Since the latest major update of Windows 10 : Creators update, Microsoft Edge does indeed support the vp9 codec
- Microsoft Edge drops 0 frame in 4K on YouTube, contrary to Chrome, which drops so many frames it is unuseable.

So kudos to MSFT, and if you want to Watch 4K videos, do use Edge !

(can't unfortunately Watch the cpu usage in task manager, since when I switch to it, video goe from full screen back to standard YouTube view.)

Mialaret

Corrections:
- Since the latest major update of Windows 10 : Creators update, Microsoft Edge does indeed support the vp9 codec
- Microsoft Edge drops 0 frame in 4K on YouTube, contrary to Chrome, which drops so many frames it is unuseable.

So kudos to MSFT, and if you want to Watch 4K videos, do use Edge !

(can't unfortunately Watch the cpu usage in task manager, since when I switch to it, video goe from full screen back to standard YouTube view.)

Andy Nicholson

Can you not set the Task Manager to always be on top in the options menu?

Mialaret

Duh, I should have thought about it.

So, after a few seconds of 99 % processor utilization, processor usage for the whole system, including task manager overhead, is between 20 and 30 % most of the time during a YouTube Vp9 4K video, with as little as 15 %.

DCleri

Hi Cedric,
Thanks for your testing and for finding the solution.

If that's ok with you I will mark the topic as solved.

Mialaret

sure