Windows 7: High CPU usage watching video with x1250 (690g)

After installing Windows 7, Task manager reports CPU-usage in the 30-50%-range watching .avi-files with Mediaplayer classic - homecinema. It was barely detectable in XP. Any ideas? The driver seems correctly identified by windows.

Seeing how video depending on there encoding can be CPU intensive. It isn't strange seeing high CPU load while decoding for playback. And as far as I can tell the x1250 has no hardware decoding, and it seems the max version for DirectX is 9b (Vista/7 would prefer 9c).

Yes, that seems like an explanation. How inadequate of Microsoft to disregard optimizing for this widespread and fairly recent hardware. It seems I will be headed back for XP soon. Only thing holding me back now, is the lack of removability of IE in XP.

Try to install Windows 7 Codecs from this site: Shark007.net - Windows 7 Codecs
Many forum users use this pack, look at this thread what they are saying about it: http://www.sevenforums.com/software/...in7codecs.html

Do I need to de-install my previous codec-pack before that?

It's recomanded

Recent? Hardware from 2007 is not recent in the world of technology, every 6 months give or take it becomes outdated. Microsoft could optimize all they want for that card, but you see the limitations of it are set in stone. Software cannot fix that. (In anycase it is ATI's resposibility to optimize the drivers and support for it, since they know the card better then Microsoft does.)

I also do not see why you are concerned with 30%-50% CPU utilization. Do you not want to utilize the max potentional of your processor you paid for?

No difference with the new codecs.

I guess that makes sense. ATi wants to push me on to the newer hardware of theirs.

No, I don't want to fully utilize my system. I want it to run as silently and cool as possible. WinXP does the exact same thing with much less fuzz.

@Sjurea

I have exactly your problem with my ATI X1600 hardware from my ASUS notebook. Only that my problem is with HD extension type of the video files.

I have been trying for hours to manage the problem of high CPU usage (around 50% or even more sometimes) when playing HD video types, especially those from youtube. Nothing worked. My system is slowed down when i play HD video no matter what player I use or what codecs. I can”t find an explanation because in XP HD videos work perefct and now in Windows 7 any kind of avi files works ok except those HD videos which uses a lot of CPU and slows my system (this can be seen when I open other windows or browse the internet for example).

I would appreciate if somebody could give me an advice on how to manage this problem without getting back to XP. Thank you in advance.