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Smgkw

macrumors member
Original poster
May 25, 2008
38
0
Does the 256 mb Nvidia Gforce 8600 play a downloaded 720p movie? If it does, does it also play 1080p?

If it doesnt, does the 17"?

Can I play those downloaded movies on an HDTV without losing the resolution?

Thanks guys, you've been a great help. :)
 
I play 720p and 1080p videos on a first-generation Core Duo MacBook (with the GMA 950) so you'll definitely be able to play such videos on a MacBook Pro with the 8600M GT. And no, you won't lose any resolution hooking it up to an HDTV (if you use an HDMI-DVI converter cable).

1080p does drop frames occasionally, though, but that's still using a far slower, older video engine. The 8600M blows the GMA 950 out of the water.
 
Of course it does. Your average mom and pop dell can probably play 1080p without stuttering if it has some sort of discrete graphics.

The 15" macbook pro does not have enough resolution in its built in screen to display 1080p (though it comes pretty close), so you'll need to have it hooked to an external monitor or 1080p television to get the full benefit.
 
Please bear with my n00biness, but I just want to make sure...


If I download an HD movie (720p) and watch it on my HDTV through my 15" MBP would I get the same picture as if I were to play a Blu-Ray movie (720p) from my PS3 to my HDTV??

Thanks :)
 
Please bear with my n00biness, but I just want to make sure...


If I download an HD movie (720p) and watch it on my HDTV through my 15" MBP would I get the same picture as if I were to play a Blu-Ray movie (720p) from my PS3 to my HDTV??

Thanks :)

i dont see why not. as long as the source is HD, and the output device can display it, and is set up for it, sure .
 
Please bear with my n00biness, but I just want to make sure...


If I download an HD movie (720p) and watch it on my HDTV through my 15" MBP would I get the same picture as if I were to play a Blu-Ray movie (720p) from my PS3 to my HDTV??

Thanks :)

No, they won't be the same picture (if by that you mean quality). What you download is a compressed, lower-bitrate 720p video. A Blu-Ray is an uncompressed, higher-bitrate 1080p video. There's a reason why a Blu-Ray movie is 25-50gb and a downloaded 720p movie is 4gb.
 
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