Microsoft Edge VSR can now upscale 1080p Videos also
Microsoft jumps maximum video resolution for enhancement from 720p to 1080p.
With Edge’s Video Super Resolution feature, you can enjoy HD quality on low-resolution videos, thanks to AI technology. Microsoft is working on enhancing Edge’s VSR to support upscaling videos to 1080P resolution, as suggested by a new option available in Edge Canary.
Video Super Resolution (VSR)
Back in March this year, Microsoft announced it is testing an experimental video upscaling feature, Video Super Resolution, that makes blurry videos appear with high quality. VSR enhances the quality of low-resolution videos by using artificial intelligence. It removes artifacts, increases sharpness, and adds details to the video frames.
To use VSR on Edge, you need to have a dedicated GPU. As claimed by Microsoft, VSR works on both AMD- and NVIDIA-powered GPUs, but you need at least a GeForce RTX 20 series or Radeon RX 5700 to use this feature.
The device should not be running on battery power as Edge uses the GPU, which requires a lot of power. Furthermore, VSR doesn’t work if the video is protected with PlayReady or Widevine.
The last VSR requirement is that the video should be played at less than 720p resolution. When the above requirements are met, Edge automatically enables VSR and indicates that with an HD icon in the address bar. You can use the icon to enable or disable VSR as it may require a lot of computer power.
In the above-mentioned requirements, there is a condition that the video should be playing at less than 720P. But it seems Microsoft has expanded this to 1080p with a new setting available under System in Edge Canary.
Edge increases Maxium Video Resolution Enhancement
In our Edge Canary today, we noticed, despite not meeting GPU requirements, we have an “Enhanced Videos in Microsoft Edge” setting (turned off by default) available with an additional option, “Maximum video resolution for enhancement”.
The option says, “The default maximum resolution for video enhancement is 1080p. You may choose to decrease the maximum supported video resolution based on your device performance.”
There you have it. Edge can now upscale 1080p videos also to a higher resolution. As 1080P is already HD, you should expect Edge to enhance video resolution to higher resolutions when not available or supported by the video.
What’s your take on Edge’s new video enhancement resolution? Let us know in the comments below
