The Video Playback scenario measures battery life by playing an HD video continuously until the battery is empty. This type of testing is commonly used by hardware review sites, but results vary across publications due to differences in the video and settings used. The UL Procyon Battery Life Benchmark provides an easy-to-use, standardised tool for measuring battery life for video playback.

Implementation

The Video Playback scenario uses the Microsoft Films & TV app (known as Movies & TV in the U.S.) that is included with Windows. The benchmark measures battery life by playing an HD video file in full-screen mode until the battery is empty.

Video encoding specifications 

  • YouTube 1080p High profile  
  • Frame rate: 30 FPS
  • Resolution: 1920 ×1080
  • Square pixels, NTSC
  • Profile: HIGH, level 4.0
  • Bitrate Encoding: VBR 2 pass, target Mbps 10
  • Keyframe distance: 90
  • Audio: AAC, 48kHz, Stereo, Quality High, 320 kbps, precedence bitrate
  • Multiplexer: MP4, stream Compatibility Standard

Benchmark result

The UL Procyon Battery Life Benchmark reports battery life as the time taken from the start of the test until the PC goes into hibernation or shuts down. The time is reported in hours and minutes.