What is NVIDIA's RTX Super Resolution?

Have you ever noticed that some videos look worse on your QHD (2K) or UHD (4K) monitor compared to an FHD display?
That’s because not all streaming platforms offer content in true QHD or 4K resolution. Most online videos are available only in FHD or even 720p quality. While these resolutions appear acceptable on an FHD monitor, they can look pixelated, blurry, or lacking in detail on higher-resolution screens. This happens because the lower-resolution source doesn’t have enough pixels to match the display density of a QHD or 4K monitor.

NVIDIA RTX Video Enhancement is a suite of AI-powered technologies that uses the dedicated Tensor Cores in NVIDIA's GeForce RTX graphics cards to improve the quality of video you watch in real-time.

It consists of two main features:

1. RTX Video Super Resolution (VSR)
2. RTX Video HDR

Here is a detailed breakdown of what each feature does and how it works.

1. RTX Video Super Resolution (VSR)

This is the most well-known feature. Think of it as "DLSS for videos."

• What it does: It uses artificial intelligence to upscale low-resolution video to a higher resolution (e.g., upscaling a 1080p video to look sharp on a 4K monitor).
• How it works: When you watch a video in a supported application (like your web browser), VSR analyzes the video frame by frame. It uses a deep learning model to intelligently sharpen edges, restore fine details, and remove the blocky compression artifacts you often see in streamed video. The result is a much clearer, sharper, and more detailed image than you would get from traditional, simple upscaling.

2. RTX Video HDR

This feature automatically converts standard video into High Dynamic Range (HDR) video.

• What it does: It takes Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) video—which is most video on platforms like YouTube—and uses AI to convert it to High Dynamic Range (HDR) in real-time. This only works if you have an HDR-compatible monitor.
• How it works: The AI model analyzes the SDR content and intelligently expands its brightness and color range. This results in more vibrant colors, deeper blacks, and much brighter, more detailed highlights, making the picture "pop" in a way SDR video cannot.

---

Key Requirements to Use RTX Video Enhancement

To use these features, you need three things:

1. A Supported GPU:
   • GeForce RTX 20, 30, 40, or 50 Series graphics card (both desktop and laptop versions).
2. A Supported Application:
   • Web Browsers: Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are the primary supported browsers for streamed video.
   • Local Video Players: VLC media player (a popular free video player) also supports the feature for your local video files.
3. The Latest NVIDIA Drivers:
   • You must have up-to-date NVIDIA Game Ready or Studio Drivers installed.

How to Turn It On

You can enable RTX Video Enhancement through the NVIDIA settings:

1. Right-click on your desktop and open the NVIDIA Control Panel (or the newer NVIDIA App).
2. Navigate to the video settings section (e.g., "Adjust video image settings" in the Control Panel or "Video" in the NVIDIA App).
3. You will see checkboxes to enable "Super resolution" (VSR) and "HDR" (RTX Video HDR).
4. For Super Resolution, you can select a quality level from 1 (lowest) to 4 (highest). A higher level provides better image quality but uses more GPU power.