How do I improve video quality of video on my windows?

[hectortrojan]

How do I improve video quality of video on my windows?
Currently when I watch online streaming videos, picture quality looks fine, but streaming is not constant. Seems like refresh rate is slow and when I watch video, seems like it pausing and I cannot watch proper video. What do I need to do to get rid of this issue?

Here is some info about my system:
Microsoft XP
Home Edition
Version 2002
Service Pack 3

Inter Celeron CPU 2.4GHz
2.39 GHz, 1.49 GB RAM

Adapter:
Intel 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphic Controller
64 MB Memory

Current Settings:
Screen Resolution: 1600 by 900 pixels
Color Quality: 32 bit
Screen Refresh rate: 60Hz

Question2:
Manual of my monitor says that optimal resolution for this monitor is 1920 by 1080 and when I try to change the setting, 1600 by 900 pixels is the highest I get, what do I need to upgrade in order to get 1920 by 1080?

[caperjack]

streaming and refresh is caused by slow internet i do believe .
and the monitors max is 1920x1080 and you video adapters is the 1000x900,so upgrading the video is and option maybe ,but not knowing what motherboard you have its hard to say fur sure .

what browser are you using to view the online videos,if its IE ,give firefox or google chrome a try

[gerbil]

Addressing the streaming issue only, there are free softwares that will download the selected video for you [from utube etc] and allow you to save the file to watch without breaks. I think Firefox has a plugin to do just that?
Me? I just note the time the dl ends and use that and approximate file size to hook the video file from my Opera temp internet cache, save it somewhere as a .flv file [they are flv files generally, but given a temp type extension by the browser... so just change the extension to .flv, and the name to something notable if you wish] and play it on my free VLC media player.
If you have a player which does not accept .flv files then use a free flv to avi converter. eg. Freez from www.smallvideosoft.com. Voila! No freezes, no need to dl again.
Well, there ya go, I just checked, and Opera has a widget which does all that for you. But a WARNING!! Use ONLY the OFFICIAL plugins/extensions/widgets for those browsers. Anyone can publish such an add-on, and it will do what they wish [and you agree to, perhaps] such as store personal information for any purposes. You may get advertisements, sales emails...
My way is safe, and pretty quick.

[hectortrojan]

REV A02 is the motherboard.

Thanks for suggesting upgrading video adapter. Seems like I will need to do that in order to fully utilize monitor.

When I use my laptop, I dont see issue with video quality. I also see same issue while watching video at Itune. So I dont think its internet related. Seems like its system related.

[gerbil]

Ah... Intel 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphic Controller on an Intel 845G mb. You know, that mb came out years before I bought my first computer. Intel are CPU people and for functioning chipsets; I don't think video controllers is a strong point with them.. they go for adequacy in that regard, good enough for accounting, stills, business offices, but not fast video from games or other high end graphics processes.
Checking specs, that chipset has PC133 bus speed [really slow], the integrated graphics has a 200MHz [slow] clock with 64MB of memory. It's just not going to process stuff very quickly. That mb was aimed at offices and homes circa 2002... no streaming video, slowish games.... Heck, the first internet browsers only appeared in the mid-nineties.
Solution? New sys.

[hectortrojan]

Ah... Intel 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphic Controller on an Intel 845G mb. You know, that mb came out years before I bought my first computer. Intel are CPU people and for functioning chipsets; I don't think video controllers is a strong point with them.. they go for adequacy in that regard, good enough for accounting, stills, business offices, but not fast video from games or other high end graphics processes.

So motherboard is too old?
What are my options?

[gerbil]

Well, if you were moderatley happy with that sys except for the video display then I would say that you are looking at low/lower mid-range motherboards. It's a fact that not everbody needs a smokin' $500 board with a pair of $800 graphics cards bending it outa shape.... you should get a decently performing new replacement well under $100, and consider young secondhand. Not knowing what you have, I could guess that your PSU is sufficient, keep the CPU, DVD drive and case. As regards hard drives... they still make Mbs that accept IDE drives [usually only one interface on boards now], but if yours is old [8,9 years is oooolllddd, and risky] then get a new one, and if you do then a SATA drive is just plain better. So to still use your old IDE get a board with one IDE interface and a bunch of Sata ports. $60 - $80. Don't get legacy serial/parallel port offerings if you don't have an ancient printer, USB suits most home gear. HDMI. When I say low end, modern low end is far better than old high end. If it does what you want, when it's in the box you'll forget all about it in a week. Just be aware of the creeping specification trap - future-proofing is wise, but will you be doing demanding engineering/architecture rotations etc? Onboard graphics are cheaper than adding a videocard, and the latest Intel chipsets do pretty decent graphics for the general home user.. certainly seamless vid display is well within their capabilities, as are older games.