= Optimize Playback =

MPlay can have a hard time maintaining real-time playback under certain
conditions:

* The images are very large.

* The images are not at 8 bit fixed depth.

* A LUT and/or Gamma correction are applied to the image.

* The sequence is very long and does not fit into available memory.

You can use the following techniques to try to optimize playback
speeds:

* Compress large image files if they support lossless compression,
  offloading some of the work from the drive to the CPU.

* Place the images on a fast drive, such as an Ultra-SCSI or RAID
  array.

* Do not load images over a network. Copy them to a local disk and play
  them from there.

* Only load color information if you don't care about transparency. On
  the command line use the `-c` option. In MPlay, choose __Windows >
  Preferences__ and set __Load Components__ to __Color Only__.

* Load and display images as 8 bit. On the command line, use the `-8`
  option.

  This strips off HDR information, so use it with care. Depth maps and
  normal maps do not display well with this option. Only use it to help
  realtime playback.

* Load the images at their natural depth, but display them as 8 bit. In
  MPlay, choose __Windows > Display Options__, click the __Video Card Options__ button on the __Display__ tab, and turn on __Display all Images at 8bit__. This preserves HDR information when you use color correction.

* Bake Gamma into your LUTs.

* Load the image sequence at 1/2 res or lower. Use the  [controls in the
  menu bar|mplay_menus]  to set the proxy size.