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Big problems showing and processing videos

L

lifeform

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 10, 2009
137
3
Hi,

I am experiencing HUGE problems displaying and processing videos on my Macbook Pro.

My computer is a MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013) 2.7 GHz Macbook Pro with 16 GB RAM and OSX Yosemite.

The problems are that when videos are being played off the whole computer seems to be heavily overloaded, and the whole OS is lagging and became very slow (unmanagble). This happen both with web videos and when I am running of HD-videos in VLC.

See this screenshot of the activity monitor when I tried to export a Screenflow-video to YouTube: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0y49sgba0ghlgus/Skjermbilde 2015-07-02 22.30.37.png?dl=0

Is it supposed to be like this ?? Or are there ways to make the computer work normal on this? The fan on the machine is also running constantly so it seems to be way too heavy on it...

It was a expensive machine so I would think that it should be able to display videos properly.
 
It's probably because you're using something really crappy like VLC. It's 2015, use something modern.
 
Don't blame VLC lol. I use it on my 2011 MBA 13 (4K, 1080p h.264, HEVC h.265) and my MAC never shutters playing those videos.

You have a "kernel_task" CPU problem which what slows your machine down not VLC or Screenflow... Mine doesn't use any CPU on kernel_task when viewing HD/4K videos with VLC or YouTube 4K, 1080P 60FPS.
 
Hmm, any ideas ?

It happens usually when I am watching web videos through the browser, rendering videos in ScreenFlow or using Flash-apps.

I´ve understood that Flash is heavy on the computer, but it really seems to be something wrong else also. I didn´t suspect a this expensive computer struggling as much as this...
 
lifeform said:
Hmm, any ideas ?

It happens usually when I am watching web videos through the browser, rendering videos in ScreenFlow or using Flash-apps.

I´ve understood that Flash is heavy on the computer, but it really seems to be something wrong else also. I didn´t suspect a this expensive computer struggling as much as this...
Click to expand...

Even with Flash it shouldn't choke. Even the 2010 iMacs can play them fluidly. I'm pretty sure some apps/kernel tasks are hogging your CPU which causes the stutter. Or maybe the GPU is being throttled leading to the stutter...
 
Hmm any way to analyze and fix this? I´ve tried using CleanMyMac + fixing permissions without any difference...
 
cbautis2 said:
Even with Flash it shouldn't choke. Even the 2010 iMacs can play them fluidly. I'm pretty sure some apps/kernel tasks are hogging your CPU which causes the stutter. Or maybe the GPU is being throttled leading to the stutter...
Click to expand...

Looking into it a bunch of sources seem to indicate that Screenflow (an App the OP us using) tends to burn up resources and cause spikes in kernel usage (maybe it relies on a kernel plugin?). Best guess is the combination of playing back HD content and recording it through Screenflow is overwhelming the system.
 
Your computer should have no problems handling 4K 60 FPS video at 100 Mbps. Not sure why it is lagging, use mpv which is light years better than VLC (as it utilizes the GPU) though admittedly, VLC does have a less weird UI (you'll know once you open it).
 
lifeform said:
Hi,

I am experiencing HUGE problems displaying and processing videos on my Macbook Pro.

My computer is a MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Early 2013) 2.7 GHz Macbook Pro with 16 GB RAM and OSX Yosemite.

The problems are that when videos are being played off the whole computer seems to be heavily overloaded, and the whole OS is lagging and became very slow (unmanagble). This happen both with web videos and when I am running of HD-videos in VLC.

See this screenshot of the activity monitor when I tried to export a Screenflow-video to YouTube: https://www.dropbox.com/s/0y49sgba0ghlgus/Skjermbilde 2015-07-02 22.30.37.png?dl=0

Is it supposed to be like this ?? Or are there ways to make the computer work normal on this? The fan on the machine is also running constantly so it seems to be way too heavy on it...

It was a expensive machine so I would think that it should be able to display videos properly.
Click to expand...
Exporting video is also called rendering. Those tasks are designed to make use of all the processing power the computer can give them, so that they finish faster.

Some lag in other apps can be expected, not to the point of unusability but a slowdown here and there is quite normal.
 
snaky69 said:
Exporting video is also called rendering. Those tasks are designed to make use of all the processing power the computer can give them, so that they finish faster.

Some lag in other apps can be expected, not to the point of unusability but a slowdown here and there is quite normal.
Click to expand...

OK, understandable. Though I am experiencing LAG so the computer is unusable. Really really slows it down and the mouse cursor freezes or moves in bits over the screen as I move it. Same with typing and managing the OS..

Would be nice to fix this kernel thing if this has influences on all of this..
 
cbautis2 said:
Based on your dropbox screenshot "kernel_task" is consuming the CPU/RAM/Disk. Follow instructions here: http://apple.stackexchange.com/ques...gh-fan-speed-and-slow-computer-in-macbook-pro
Click to expand...

DO NOT follow these instructions without first understanding what they do. This tip is potentially dangerous as it messes with a kernel extension that interfaces with the hardware SMC (that controls the fans).

What that tip does is like surgery that cuts a nerve in your arm so that you can't feel the pain any more, but you need to be careful because now the system doesn't know if it's overheating and has to rely on the built in SMC thermal protections (that are designed as a safeguard if the OS locks up).

If you are going to remove this kernel extension then I *strongly suggest* installing an app that can control your fan speeds to keep them at some default speed higher than the minimum speed.

Not all high kernel CPU use is down to the ACPI kext though - the kernel is the master process for the whole system. It is going to have high CPU use when the computer is busy - it literally *is* the operating system's brain. If you have other third party extensions that cause it to spike in usage then you may experience lag or high temperatures.

I would strongly suggest trying to rule out other applications before you start messing with deleting critical kernel extensions that interface with the hardware cooling system.

Edit: typo.
 
joe-h2o said:
DO NOT follow these instructions without first understanding what they do. This tip is potentially dangerous as it messes with a kernel extension that interfaces with the hardware SMC (that controls the fans).

What that tip does is like surgery that cuts a nerve in your arm so that you can't feel the pain any more, but you need to be careful because now the system doesn't know if it's overheating and has to rely on the built in SMC thermal protections (that are designed as a safeguard if the OS locks up).

If you are going to remove this kernel extension then I *strongly suggest* installing an app that can control your fan speeds to keep them at some default speed higher than the minimum speed.

Not all high kernel CPU use is down to the ACPI kext though - the kernel is the master process for the whole system. It is going to have high CPU use when the computer is busy - it literally *is* the operating system's brain. If you have other third party extensions that cause it to spike in usage then you may experience lag or high temperatures.

I would strongly suggest trying to rule out other applications before you start messing with deleting critical kernel extensions that interface with the hardware cooling system.

Edit: typo.
Click to expand...

Thanks :) Hmm, hmm - I don´t know then what to do with this. Sad that a this expensive computer has this big problems displaying simple videos.
 
lifeform said:
Thanks :) Hmm, hmm - I don´t know then what to do with this. Sad that a this expensive computer has this big problems displaying simple videos.
Click to expand...
Displaying and rendering are two very different things.

Rendering happens when say, you export an edit you made in Final Cut, iMovie, or you convert a video from one format to the other (like in your exporting a screenflow to youtube example.)

Simply playing back video (as in, opening a file and pressing play) should not cause any significant performance hit on your machine.
 
lifeform said:
Thanks :) Hmm, hmm - I don´t know then what to do with this. Sad that a this expensive computer has this big problems displaying simple videos.
Click to expand...

You got a dud. Time to exchange to a new one or just clean install OS X if you don't have that option. You probably got a poorly updated app that forces kernel task to use all of your CPU and GPU
 
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