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xkudeki · 2012-01-06, 16:00

I know you guys are aware of PseudoTV for XBMC...
Are there any stand alone programs that would take my media files (movies,anime and tv shows) and apply them to a tv guide format like PTV does? I would like to use the features of PTV (tv guide and channel builds) without XBMC slowing to a stutter/stall all the time. Thanks in advance

vikjon0 · 2012-01-06, 16:22

so the question is the xbmc forum how you can avoid using xbmc?

xkudeki · 2012-01-06, 16:56

not exactly, I was wondering how can i make xbmc play smoothly. All I have right now is a dual core inspiron 6400 laptop...I like playing the pseudotv program on my tv to emulate that "tv" feel. If there are no ways to smooth it out, can anyone suggest an alternative. Sorry for the miswording.

Abe Froman · 2012-01-06, 17:39

Upgrade your hardware is the only solution.

cwide · 2012-01-06, 18:34

Abe Froman Wrote:Upgrade your hardware is the only solution.

Ya. I would say maybe upgrading to an SSD for your programs and artwork would probably help a lot. (and using NAS or an external for media files)

I don't use one (too poor as of now) but imagine that would speed things up.

Can anyone comment on your experience after upgrading to an SSD?

kushanagi · 2012-01-06, 23:46

SSD will only speed up things for him if the hard drive is the bottle neck. It most likely isn't.

Even if it is, you will need to put way too much data on a SSD and the cost would go up too quickly for the gain IMO.

cwide · 2012-01-06, 23:58

kushanagi Wrote:SSD will only speed up things for him if the hard drive is the bottle neck. It most likely isn't.

Even if it is, you will need to put way too much data on a SSD and the cost would go up too quickly for the gain IMO.

Why is the hard drive most likely not the bottleneck? I would say that it IS most likely the bottleneck. With most laptops made in the past 4 years the hard drive is likely the bottleneck. Although the Inspiron 6400 might be too old for the SSD to make a real different.

I clearly said he should put his media on NAS or an external hard drive. The SSD should be for OS, programs, and artwork (which would not take up that much space). You could easily get by with a 60 GB SSD.

vikjon0 · 2012-01-07, 11:06

Quote:Why is the hard drive most likely not the bottleneck? I would say that it IS most likely the bottleneck. With most laptops made in the past 4 years the hard drive is likely the bottleneck.

Ok, everybody else seem to assume that CPU/GPU is the issue when media is stuttering. I think you may have study the topic before you recommend someone to buy a SSD. XBMC works fine on IDE disk and USB thumb drive,

XMBC_FREAK · 2012-01-10, 19:53

Exactly I agree with all of you about the ssd.

Spend that money on a simple server and load up your media files on the server disk. Share the directories and add them into xbmc.

If you have a dual core laptop it is enough to run xbmc I know this for a fact.

I run xbmc on several different platforms and am currently building a budget 20 dollar xbmc slim pc I picked up on Craigslist. Its a single core 2.8ghz P4 1gb of ram and a 10gb hd with windows 7 and I have 2.9gb left on the main drive after a clean OS and XBMC installed. I dont have a pci video card and the unit plays all my media without hiccups. I checked cpu usage and it hovers around 30-50 percent when playing media. I am looking for a pci card but its mainly to drop cpu usage down to 20 or so percent.

I would honestly would build a server, backup all your files to it, and reformat your laptop with a clean install of OS. Many times theres alot of bloatware on your pc which can be removed. I would strongly disagree with a ssd upgrade it wont make the difference that you are looking for.

A server can be built very cheap, imagination and part sourcing used parts go a long way....My 2 cents Smile

Ethereal_Gaz · 2012-01-11, 15:54

What graphics card do you have in your Inspiron?

xkudeki · 2012-03-01, 22:48

I appreciate all the input, but I think I failed to mention one thing. It's not the media that's the problem. I think it's my laptop. The reason I was asking about a stand alone program, (sorry, I know its offensive to ask about that on another program's thread), is the XBMC program itself, mainly PsuedoTV lags alot and will slow down to where I can't use it. Is there any way I can tune PsuedoTV to play smoother, or tune XBMC to where it uses less ram?