what qualify as Encoding and Decoding?

[faye]

Dear All,

reasoning this question is debating INTEL or AMD.

AMD is slower on encoding and decoding, but what are they?

I use BT to download DivX movies, so does it count as decoding?

is converting a DVD movie to Divx(mpeg4) encoding? actually i don't do that..though..

I've tried it on a P3 and it takes somewhere 8hours to 10 hours for a 2 hour movie.

what other "things" count as Decode and Encode?

I only do wordprocess, BT, movie, mp3, gaming(yeah).!

because too many people recommanding AMD to me, everyone recommand AMD, just no one talks about its bad side. a cpu couldn't have no bad side right. Instead i heard too many bad things about intel prescott which i tend to get. SO.. I am confused.

Thanks

 

[monzie]

Ok as I understand it:

1) Encoding is taking raw digital video signals (as used by a TV or monitor to display an image) and recording (saving) and squeezing (compressing) them down into a known file format (mpeg/mpeg2/divx etc).

2)Decoding is uncompressing the files back into a video signal that the TV or monitor can use.

3)Changing from one format (ie. DVD which is mpeg2 to divx) is known as transcoding.....which is lossy.....this means some detail is lost in the conversion.

4) You cannot just think of video files.......what about audio? Audio files follow similar rules and also need to be considered. Just playing a CD is a form of decoding (from an encoded source) ditto MP3, AC3, and loads more. Video and Audio files are spliced together (muxed) to create video footage with sound (aka .avi...Audio Video Interlaced) so when someone talks about an avi they are talking about a file that contains both audio and video information (ie a divx with mp3).

P4's are optimized for video creation where as AMD's aren't..............but in the real world (where money IS an issue) an AMD cpu is no way hindered its just not optimized. Regardless of what people tell you there is NO 'my cpu's better than yours'....but there are lots of idiots with little dicks (and no girlfriends/wives)....my gfx card is better than yours....my memory....my case......my HDD..........get the picture? Learn to read between the lines........ Forums tend to cover people from 10 years old to 90 years old.....us older ones sometimes feel like reaching down the phone line and throtlling the teenies for the absolute BS they spews from their tiny little minds.......they honestly sound like sheep........bleet bleet.

 

[faye]

ok..

my reasoning for this post is to decide which cpu to get.
that's y i keep posting for a "better" cpu.
I just don't see anyone saying negatives about AMD while too many neg about Prescott.

is Prescott that bad? I am just a normal user... CAD, internet browsing, word processing, gaming, bt, mp3 music. its all i do all day.

People keep telling me AMD is cheaper but i don't see it cheaper instead, a A64 3000+ is as much as a P4-3.0C
and the motherboard costs more.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Read benchmarks, for example at the main AnandTech site.

A64 3000+ is roughly the speed of a P4 3.2C for games, but not for video encoding (or transcoding which is just decode one format then encode as another). A64 3200+ is much faster than a P4 3.2C for games.

 

[faye]

oh, i do zip and unzip alot... so does it count as decoding?

I will only get a Athlon 64 series(not XP), but A64 is expensive, aiyaya.

Hey, P4-3.2C is expensive too... at the most i could only be getting 3.0C

but seems that 2.8E or 2.8C are more popular than 3.0C, why?

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

Originally posted by: faye
but seems that 2.8E or 2.8C are more popular than 3.0C, why?

Probably because people don't see a ~7% performance increase as being worth %20-%25 more money.

 

[Jeff7181]

Based on the intended uses in your original post, if I were you I'd go with an Athlon-64 3000+.

If you're not doing any media encoding yourself, such as making a divx movie out of a DVD, then the P4 loses it's multi-media advantage because anything on the market today will decode (play) any of those formats with no trouble at all. The Athlon-64 will also probably feel a little more snappy doing simple tasks like word processing and internet browsing. Bit Torrent doesn't really stress anything except maybe your internet connection.

The ONLY reason I'd choose a P4 in your situation is if your CAD program is optimized for Hyper-Threading... in which case, it would more than likely out perform an Athlon-64.

Oh... and by the way... Athlon-64's tend to be faster at unzipping files, while Pentium 4's tend to be faster at zipping them.