Some questions from a noob

so im a brand new mac user (just bought a 12" powerbook 1.5) and i had a question..hopefully this is the right forum for it. So i transfered over some video files (some wmv's and avi's) from my pc to my mac and it seems as though the video quality just isnt as good. Things look more pixilated or digitized for lack of better description. Ive tried using wmp and vlc but they dont make a difference. Is there some sort of plugin i should get or am i doing something wrong?

what are you using to play them? and what is the quality of the video? depending on the computer you came from it could be you arnt used to having such a good monitor. ill use the example of an HD tv if you play normal cable signal on an HD it looks pixilated and crappy but the picture is great when you have HD input. If you have a normal tv say an old glass tube tv normal signal will look better than normal signal played on an HD tv but if you give the normal tv HD input nothing will improve.

Hi there, I found that i was in the same position with my new Imac, however it was just due to the quality jump form my PC to my Mac. In most cases AVI files are very poor quality in my experience.

What I would do is go and look at some HD trailers on Quicktime, this will assure that the Mac can produce excellent quality visuals!

I found that switching from VGA to DVI made a huge difference, the image quality was sharper and more clear. This made videos look more pixelated, presumably because it's displaying each pixel perfectly and clearly. I don't know..

hmm well the thing that stumps me is that im going from a pc that is running 6800gt (with the purevideo decoding software) and i use a dell 24" and of course connected with dvi.
i used windows media player to play them on both mac and pc.

and thanks for the suggestions so far.

edit: i just checked a quicktime vid and it plays perfectly ... so im wondering...is it that wmvs and avis just dont play well on macs?

jinsaotome said:

hmm well the thing that stumps me is that im going from a pc that is running 6800gt (with the purevideo decoding software) and i use a dell 24" and of course connected with dvi.
i used windows media player to play them on both mac and pc.

and thanks for the suggestions so far.

edit: i just checked a quicktime vid and it plays perfectly ... so im wondering...is it that wmvs and avis just dont play well on macs?

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It could be. Have you checked the resolutions on the two displays?

to_tough_to_die said:

It could be. Have you checked the resolutions on the two displays?

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yeah my resolution on my powerbook is 1024x768 and my resolution on my 24" is 1920x1200

alrite so i just dled a trial version of flip4mac... it seems as though when im using quicktime to play wmv the video seems more "aliased" but it lags (maybe because flip4mac slows down the video on purpose cuz its a trial or because its doing something real time). Still..the video doesnt look as good as when it was on my pc so im still a little baffled. So now my next question is does anyone else have problems playing wmv's with wmp?

jinsaotome said:

yeah my resolution on my powerbook is 1024x768 and my resolution on my 24" is 1920x1200

alrite so i just dled a trial version of flip4mac... it seems as though when im using quicktime to play wmv the video seems more "aliased" but it lags (maybe because flip4mac slows down the video on purpose cuz its a trial or because its doing something real time). Still..the video doesnt look as good as when it was on my pc so im still a little baffled. So now my next question is does anyone else have problems playing wmv's with wmp?

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Ya, it seems a bit to me like Microsoft is half-assing their Apple support. Windows Media 9. IE 5.2.3. etc.

I have heard good reports on Flip4Mac.

Part of WMP 9's problems on the Mac stem from it being designed (hah) by the Windows Media unit at MS, not the Mac unit; so it behaves like a right... :flower:

Whether Flip4Mac lags - not sure, maybe you could e-mail them with your specs and ask.

I have made do with WMP 9 which though truly nasty, I try to use QT and RealMedia (believe it or not but RealPlayer on the Mac is far less intrusive than on WIndows) sources as much as possible as WMP 9 on the Mac is dreadful.

I haven't had problems playing other files such as DivX, XviD, 3ivX etc. though on my PowerBook 12".

Vicky

wait realplayer can play wmvs?

Do yourself a favor and DON'T install realplayer on your mac.

thoughtCoat said:

Do yourself a favor and DON'T install realplayer on your mac.

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Have you?

I don't have any experience with it myself, but if you haven't even tried it...