—PureVideo HD FAQ
PUREVIDEO TECHNOLOGY
PLAYING BLU-RAY AND HD DVD MOVIES ON A PC
PUREVIDEO TECHNOLOGY
What is PureVideo HD?
NVIDIA® PureVideo™ HD technology is the combination of high-definition video decode acceleration and post-processing that delivers unprecedented picture clarity, smooth video, accurate color, and precise image scaling for movies and video. PureVideo HD includes required content protection circuitry (HDCP) for playing the new Blu-ray and HD DVD movies at the highest quality possible, and is directly integrated with the leading HD movie software players. PureVideo HD delivers the ultimate high-definition movie experience on a PC.
How does PureVideo HD differ from PureVideo technology?
PureVideo HD is a superset of PureVideo. PureVideo is a combination of a hardware video processor and video decode software that delivers unprecedented picture clarity, smooth video, accurate color, and precise image scaling for all video content. It turns your PC into a high-end home-theater. PureVideo technology is built into a variety of NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs), including GeForce® and GeForce Go 6600, 6800, 7300, 7600, 7800, and 7900-series GPUs.
PureVideo HD includes all of the features of PureVideo, plus advanced technologies for playing HD DVD and Blu-ray movies. PureVideo HD is a combination of high-definition movie decode acceleration hardware with post-processing features, HDCP circuitry, and integration with HD movie players that delivers cinematic-quality Blu-ray and HD DVD movie playback on your PC.
Does PureVideo HD support both Blu-ray and HD DVD?
Yes. PureVideo HD provides hardware acceleration for decoding the compression routines used on both Blu-ray and HD DVD movies: H.264, VC-1, and MPEG-2.
What is new in the GeForce 8500 and GeForce 8600 GPU video processors?
These GPUs feature a new video engine that includes a bitstream processor (BSP) and an improved programmable video processor (VP). The BSP offloads the 100% of the CABAC and H.264 decode process from the CPU allowing playback of "full spec" HD DVD and Blu-ray movies. The new VP also has more advanced video post-processing algorithms which improve video quality.
Do the GeForce 8800 series GPUs include the same video processing capabilities as the new GeForce 8500 and GeForce 8600 GPUs?
The new GeForce 8500 and GeForce 8600GPUs feature a new more powerful video processor designed to offload 100% of the H.264 decode from the CPU, enabling HD DVD and Blu-ray video playback, even on modest single-core PCs. The GeForce 8800 series GPUs feature PureVideo HD with the previous generation video engine which is capable of Blu-ray and HD DVD playback on PCs equipped with more powerful dual-core CPUs.
Q. Do I need the PureVideo Decoder to play movies on the GeForce 8600 and 8500?
No. NVIDIA’s video processing architecture no longer requires the PureVideo Decoder, just a compatible third-party software movie player.. The PureVideo HD technology is available through any player that uses the Micorsoft DXVA 2.0 interface, including the Vista Windows Media Player with built-in MPEG2 decoder. To play Blu-ray or HD DVD movies, an AACS compliant movie player from companies lie CyberLink and InterVideo is also required. Specific versions of those players made for the GeForce 8600 and 8500’s second generation video processor should be available in late May, 2007.
What is the max resolution PureVideo HD supports?
PureVideo HD will process movies at resolutions up to 1080p, the highest HD resolution available.
PLAYING BLU-RAY AND HD DVD MOVIES ON A PC
What do I need to have the best experience playing Blu-ray or HD DVD movies on a PC?
To enjoy the ultimate HD DVD or Blu-ray experience on a PC, you’ll need:
- A PCI Express graphics card with NVIDIA® GeForce® 7 Series HDCP-capable GPU*, secure HDCP CryptoROM, and 256MB graphics memory
- NVIDIA® ForceWare® graphics drivers that feature PureVideo HD technology
- An optical disc drive that supports Blu-ray and/or HD DVD movie playback
- Blu-ray or HD DVD movie player software with PureVideo HD hardware acceleration of H.264, VC-1, and MPEG-2 high-definition content
- A dual-core CPU with 1GB of RAM is recommended
Click here to download our checklist for a complete description of required components necessary for playing Blu-ray or HD DVD movies on a PC.
Are there any PureVideo HD graphics cards shipping now?
Yes.
Click here to see graphics cards that have been qualified for the PureVideo HD badge.
What will happen if I try to play a Blu-ray or HD DVD movie on a PC that is not powered by a PureVideo HD graphics card?
The answer depends on a number of factors including how the movie was made and what kind of system is being used. In some cases, the movie will not play at all. In other cases, depending on the system, the image quality could be poor. CPU utilization even on a new system with a fast dual-core processor may reach 100%, resulting in dropped frames and reduced image quality.
Does NVIDIA support HDMI?
Yes. See our
graphics card list for cards that support HDMI.
Can I view Blu-ray and HD DVD movies on my laptop or PC if I don’t have an HDCP graphics card?
Laptops do not require HDCP circuitry to play high definition movies on the laptop screen. HD DVD or Blu-ray movie playback from a laptop to an external display will require an HDCP connection.
For desktop PCs, monitors with DVI input must have an HDCP graphics card to play. If your monitor has analog input (VGA and component), the movie should play as long as it is not protected by the Image Constraint Token (ICT).
ICT (which is built into the Advanced Access Copy System copy protection) will automatically reduce the quality of the image produced by a high-definition video disc player to 540 lines of vertical resolution when the player is connected to an analog display. So, when studios enable ICT in their high definition movies, users without HDCP graphics cards can still watch the movie in reduced resolution if they have an analog display. The movie will play, but not in high definition.
How is system performance affected by playing a high definition movie?
Playing HD/BD movies is a demanding task for a computer. Conventional DVD movies are typically 8 megabits/sec (Mbps). High definition movies require 20, 30 or even 40 Mbps video streams. This can drive CPU utilization to 100% even on a fast system, resulting in possible system lockups and restricted multi-tasking capabilities. Driving the CPU at 100% utilization also drains the batteries quickly in a laptop.
PureVideo HD offloads the CPU of complex video tasks, freeing the PC to run multiple applications simultaneously, while consuming less power. It also delivers superior image quality.
Which movie players play HD DVD and Blu-ray movies?
CyberLink, InterVideo and Nero have all announced Blu-ray and HD DVD versions of their movie players.
