Then ... Dropped frames I'd suggest being caused by deficiencies in the player or codec of the player, OR as a result of poor conversion from the original source to xVid. Be that due to the converter, user or both.

But then I guess dropped frames can be cpu/ram/graph card issues also. lol

My last thought is you have a blinking/fading out problem! lol

Oh I forgot to mention, the conversion process from HDTV to computer is a question & a half. The capture card is also very much at the heart of the issue also. Dropped frames are a major issue when recording from HDTV due to the massive requirements for the higher definition; ram, cpu speed, "all" line & bus speeds, & HDD speed & whether it is also being used for other purposes. There's potential drops anywhere in the above links/areas of speeds which may result in dropped frames. This relates back to the capture card/device also. Firewire is by far the best for vid transport/capture but still, some silly people use usb.

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