A very interesting tool is added to microsoft edge under the promise of improve old videos from YouTube and other online platformsno matter how bad they look. We talk about Video Super Resolution (VSR)a technology dedicated to upscaling old and low-resolution clips to play them in better quality.
This new function still is in experimental phaseso for now is limited to those running the canary version of the web browser. However, it could reach the final version of the software very soon, if the evolution of its development meets expectations.
Video Super Resolution is basically a scaling technology similar to others we have already seen in the recent past. The most notorious case that has come to light in recent times is that of NVIDIA and its RTX Video Super Resolution, which was formally presented at CES 2023. However, Microsoft’s utility presents some differences with respect to that of the giant. green.
First, VSR will be usable in Microsoft Edge on computers with NVIDIA or AMD GPUs. Those from Redmond indicate that the tool will work on both desktop and laptop computers, as long as they have graphs of the series RTX 20, 30 or 40either RX5700 to 7800.
In the case of those who use laptops, to test this function it is mandatory that the equipment remains connected to the power supply. In addition, they must change the Windows settings to force Microsoft Edge to run through the GPU.
New in Microsoft Edge is a video scaling tool
Beyond the hardware requirements to be met, the content that Microsoft Edge can scale must also meet a few conditions. First of all, Video Super Resolution works with videos with a resolution lower than 720p, as long as both the width and the height are greater than 192 pixels.
Another point to take into account is that the tool can only be executed on videos that are not DRM protected. So if clips on YouTube or other platforms use anti-piracy technologies like Widevine or PlayReady, Microsoft Edge won’t be able to apply scaling.
As explained by those from Redmond, VSR uses machine learning to improve the quality of any video played in Microsoft Edge. It does this by “removing compression artifacts en bloc” and applying the algorithms to scale the material to a higher resolution. In this way, the developers promise sharper and clearer videos on YouTube or other similar services.
It is worth noting, however, that the company keeps some details secret. For example, It is unknown to what quality it is capable of scaling the videos in question. Although it is logical to think that this may depend on the resolution of the original content. It’s clear that existing scaling technologies are very capable, but they don’t do magic either.
Those who use the Canary version of Microsoft Edge can now try this new technology. If your computer meets the hardware requirements, you can register the option manually by entering edge://flags/#edge-video-super-resolution. Once available, whenever they access a website with a video that can be scaled, they will see an “HD” icon in the browser’s address bar. From there, they can turn the feature on or off with a click.