Users of Linux netbooks usually have a big problem: the GMA 500 used in some models has support more imperfect with the penguin OS. Fortunately, some developers are there and it is now possible to use certain features of the chip, as the acceleration of video decoding, Linux.

Of HD on a Netbook

While the chip commonly used in netbooks (the GMA 950) does not support accelerated decoding, the GMA 500 is capable (H.264, MPEG-2 and VC-1 are party). And with the tutorial offered by a user, it is perfectly possible to use the capabilities of the chip to decode HD videos with low CPU usage (about 30%) on a netbook. The only requirement (besides, of course, a netbook with a GMA 500) is a software that can handle VA API (Video Acceleration API), eg MPlayer. Note that it will obviously play the command line, but all works correctly on an MSI Wind U110 and should (a priori) to be functional on any model with a Poulsbo chipset.

Still remember that video acceleration is functional as Windows 7 and third-party software is required on older versions (like PowerDVD).