C2D faces issues with certain 4K YouTube clips, though it works for others.
C2D faces issues with certain 4K YouTube clips, though it works for others.
Unfortunately the setup requires an outdated RX Vega 7 with no AV1 support. For better performance you’d need at least RDNA2 on an AMD processor. Unless the GPU is from the RTX 30 series or newer than the RX 6600, it won’t handle AV1 decoding. In short, even a brand new AMD CPU struggles with 4K60 AV1. You’ll likely need a dedicated hardware decoder if you want true 4K quality. Alternatively, you can use an H264ify plugin in your browser to downscale everything to 1080p H264.
I did actually look it up now because I was curious. Here's a general list for decode capable hardware: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AV1#Hardware It looks like the cheapest solution is actually to just buy a sbc based on that rockchip something like an orangepi 5 will kill it for only a bit over a hunge https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLY2L25P/
I attempted this setup and adjusted it to 1080p. It didn’t help with Gamers Nexus (it still launched in 4K), but it did work for Linus at HD. So it isn’t very consistent. I’ll need to watch it a bit longer and experiment more. Correction: the plugin now seems functional and Gamers Nexus content also launches at 1080p. Because Chrome is configured to share settings across devices, this applies to all my PCs, even those with faster processors. I could turn off the extension sync to enjoy 4K on newer machines, but honestly, most of what I watch doesn’t require that resolution.
My previous approach of making the plugin push videos to HD initially helped for a while. However, it seems YT has altered its behavior. On many channels, the plugin still defaults to 4K, and even manual adjustments fail to maintain that setting. This issue occurs across all my four PCs, each with different specifications—from C2D to an i7-7700K. One machine uses an HD TV, which also suggests using 4K content. Some channels are particularly demanding; on my i7-6700, the video can approach 90% CPU usage. This clearly isn’t feasible on a C2D. I suspect this will worsen as more channels switch to 4K. I’m unsure exactly how YT implements this change, but here are my thoughts:
- Convert 4K videos to other popular resolutions when uploaded.
- Watch the converted version; YT may send it from a lower resolution during streaming.
- Keep the original 4K and convert later if needed.
- The downside for YT is higher bandwidth usage and extra processing.
Advantages of conversion include reduced data transfer and potential processing during downtime. Disadvantages involve increased storage needs and extra computational load.
For my setup, I tested the same 4K video on an i7-7700K—CPU usage dropped significantly, allowing HD playback. However, on my i7-6700, it became impossible to switch to HD. It seems Chrome extensions might be interfering with YT’s resolution settings. Some older or max-quality extensions were affecting the process. Removing them resolved the issue, letting all PCs run in HD. I’m now hoping for better hardware support moving forward.