Laptop to play 4k videos

stator

Well h.265 is fairly recent, so only newer laptops will support it. The hardware requirements are quite high. Only in the last few years have we seen hardware support in CPUs, GPUs, TVs etc.
h.264 is probably supported by a lot of laptops. I'm sure you'll find one of those fairly cheap, it just wouldn't be future proof.



Even laptops that don't support h.264 might playback UHD video fine, but it will be doing it in software, which means the cpu will be running hot and if the CPU isn't up to the task you might get stuttering.


I always like my PCs to run cool and quiet and have had some bad experiences with software decodes, so I would always prefer a hardware decode.


If you're buying a second hand old laptop £100 then stick with h.264 but if you're buying a new one or spending over £300 then you can definitely get h.265.

that

that E7280 has a 1366X768 screen, so also will not display films naively, and they will have to be scaled.

The users reviews here are worth a read https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Latitude-7280-i7-7600U-Ultrabook/product-reviews/B073W32TKL/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews

that

that E7280 has a 1366X768 screen, so also will not display films naively, and they will have to be drastically down scaled.

The users reviews here are worth a read https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Latitude-7280-i7-7600U-Ultrabook/product-reviews/B073W32TKL/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews

Unsure about Stators comment about spending over £300 will definitely get h.265, because the bottom part of £300 does not buy a high spec laptop and think you will be fairly pushed to get a full hd screen around that price. Definitely the vids are something you want to try before you buy.

I would suggest you try a free software solution first, if possible. Please watch this as it may work before you splosh your dosh? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30FkFt1R1xk

Here is something else https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBO0Sw6eSiA

ben501

that wrote: »

that E7280 has a 1366X768 screen, so also will not display films naively, and they will have to be scaled.

The users reviews here are worth a read

If the machine will willingly scale them, that's all I'd be asking of it. Maybe I'm crazy for wanting to keep 4K films when I don't even have a 4K screen (PC monitors & TV are still only 1080), but at least I'll have something to try on one when I do upgrade.

As to the reviews, the screen angle is not a concern. Unless I'm moving while the laptop is stationary, I don't see a single viewing angle as a problem, especially when I'll mostly be using it with the external monitor.

Probably a minor detail, but the review you linked is for a later i7-7600U model, not the i5-6300U that I linked. I've struggled to find reviews for that specific combination.

I'll give those YT/VLC tweaks a try later, but it's (hopefully not overly) reassuring to think that if my old machine can almost play the files then a newer more powerful model would find it much easier. It occurred today that I may be able to take some video files to work and see if I can persuade any of the laptop users to let me try it on their laptop. They're all small screened Dells, but I've no idea of the models. I think they all have VLC installed on them as the default player. A long shot, but no harm in asking.

baza52

tp play a 4k video on a 4k screen (when you get one) will also need a laptop thats capable of displaying 4k resolution over HDMI.
I very much doubt a laptop with a max screen resolution of 1366X768 will be able to display 3840 x 2160 on any other monitor

ben501

baza52 wrote: »

I very much doubt a laptop with a max screen resolution of 1366X768 will be able to display 3840 x 2160 on any other monitor

If I got a 4K monitor it would be to used with the PC rather than laptop. It's far more likely to be a new TV though. I'm trying to convince myself that a new OLED TV would look good in the living room, but it's going to take a lot more effort before I give in. (now you know I'm crazy)

that

baza52 wrote: »

tp play a 4k video on a 4k screen (when you get one) will also need a laptop thats capable of displaying 4k resolution over HDMI.
I very much doubt a laptop with a max screen resolution of 1366X768 will be able to display 3840 x 2160 on any other monitor

I agree with this. There are ones that approacg this level but often a bit over budget by about £1300 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-9370-InfinityEdge-Display-i7-8550U/dp/B0799981GR

Even a desktop will probably need a decent graphics card, if you want to go all the way.

my screen is 1366?X900, and that 900 is a pita, on web pages, photos. If you have a choice, go better

stator

that wrote: »

Unsure about Stators comment about spending over £300 will definitely get h.265, because the bottom part of £300 does not buy a high spec laptop and think you will be fairly pushed to get a full hd screen around that price. Definitely the vids are something you want to try before you buy.

Well no, a £300 laptop wouldn't be great overall. But you can get one that does h265 decode because it's something built into most new CPUs.

It might be rubbish at almost everything else, but if it's got hardware decode then it'll play the vids fine.


It's definitely something to check. I haven't mentioned the screen resolution because the OP doesn't seem bothered about the actual quality, just whether it plays the video.