Question about HTML 5 on the iPad

[Yr Blues]

HTML 5 YouTube is only 10% (CPU usage) more efficient than flash, but will that mean only 10% gain in battery life?

Flash videos use about 40% of the cpu while html 5 uses 30% according to the tests posted on YouTube.

 

[blackNBUK]

I think the important question on mobile platforms is whether or not the different methods can use hardware decoding. If HTML5 video uses hardware decoding while Flash is limited to using the CPU only then HTML5 video might be a big win for battery life.

 

[Yr Blues]

I think the important question on mobile platforms is whether or not the different methods can use hardware decoding. If HTML5 video uses hardware decoding while Flash is limited to using the CPU only then HTML5 video might be a big win for battery life.

true, i totally forgot about that. I guess we'll find out soon. But if it doesn't and there's only a 10% gain, it wouldn't be worth all the hubbub. Well, it would be worth 10%.

 

[MattInOz]

You'd have to look at other factors as well.

Higher CPU use could mean higher compression so smaller file so radio use is lower and your trading CPU power for radio power. So HTML power saving could be reduced to zero or worse.

On the other hand more CPU could be from the same compression file being in a wrapper that the CPU has to unwrap, in which case the HTML5 file could be smaller download and smaller CPU use. So power saving could be well over 10%.

 

[t0mat0]

I'd imagine the difference in CPU Usage differs from HTML and Flash content, and also what you're running it on.

If you're using the GPU, CPU, screen, HD more, then it'll use more battery in general. I wouldn't be able to say if there's a direct link between battery life and decrease in CPU usage - it seems a more case by case basis.

If you have a larger CPU, or less crappy Flash (e.g. well coded/minimal) then you'll see that it'll use less CPU i'd imagine.