iBook G3 video skipping (slow computer msg in VLC) & crashing with mplayer

Each time I tried to play an avi file with mplayer, mplayer will start up and then crashed immediately i.e. it quitted. If I tried to open the avi file with Quicktime (I have the codec installed), Quicktime hanged. I can play the file with VLC player, but the video skipped and error messages appeared, saying that the computer is too slow. There were no other programs opened at that time.

I am running 10.4.4 with QT 7.04. I have tried to boot from an external HD (cloned from the internal HD) with the same problems. I have also reformatted the iBook HD, reinstalled Tiger and the same problem occurred. Is this a hardware issue with the iBook? Using a new user made no difference.

I have also zapped the PRAM but did not solve the problem.

What else can I try? Thanks.

Powerbook G3/G4, Mac Mini 1.42 Mac OS X (10.4.4)

Posted on Jan 16, 2006 10:05 PM

20 replies

Missy L Author

Level 1

34 points

Jan 21, 2006 8:30 AM in response to Sarah Mullen

Hey, Sarah, thanks for the feedback. I thought I was alone with this problem as I have done a search on a few forum and did not seem to find anyone else facing this.

I have played a few other avi files and notice that some played better than others. Of course, generally, the performance is still far short of the PB and MacMini that we have. But I still love this little iBook, with its really great battery life. Runs pretty good otherwise.

Scott P.

Level 6

16,889 points

Jan 21, 2006 1:12 PM in response to Missy L

See, that's the problem. The pheremones that Apple sprays on these iBooks at the factory make us do anything rather than admit our little ones can't cut it 😉

I think part of the issue with that one particular file is that it is a particularly ornery flavor of .AVI As I noted earlier, there are really any number of formats that can go int that particular type, and some are just mean. Since it won't load in QT, I really think it is one of those.

Another person that was talking to Ronda and I swears by mplayer. So much so that I don't think he came over here and read this thread to see that you couldn't make it play the file. He says that it can ingeneral handle video playback (especially over a LAN) better than VLC on a 700MHz G3. Of course, I use VLC because it can play shows from my ReplayTV without needing to re-format them, and you have an issue with a particular file in it. I think I'm going to go look at it again and see if I can make it like my saves. 😉

Jan 25, 2006 10:01 AM in response to Missy L

I just thought I'd add to this thread that I've had the same issue with my iBook - files that play fine in MPlayer on my wife's iBook G4 simply can't hack it on my 500Mhz iBook G3. They only show a frame every couple seconds, and eventually it just hangs. I've tried closing down all sorts of background processes and whatnot, to no avail. I'm going to go try VLC now, just for kicks, but I think the real answer is just to not watch video on my iBook. Heck, it doesn't have a DVD player, either, so it's pretty easy to just cast it aside as incapable of all video playing.

Greg
---
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Scott P.

Level 6

16,889 points

Jan 26, 2006 2:30 AM in response to Greg Westin

OH, heck.
I'd guess that the 500 MHz iBooks wouldn't be all that great at video. Doesn't that model only have an 8MB video memory chip? As the 16 MB, faster models have an issue, I'd be gritting my teeth waiting for the next frame 😉

Jan 26, 2006 8:59 AM in response to Scott P.

A 500 MHz iBook may not be great at the kind of video you guys are talking about, but Gary uses his with the DVD drive to watch DVD's all the time with nary a hiccup.

My 800 MHz iBook was fine with web content until I updated QuickTime, and now it's very choppy and nearly unusable. If I download a clip, it's a little better, but not a lot.

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iBook G3 video skipping (slow computer msg in VLC) & crashing with mplayer