Sometimes it feels like having anything less than the latest and greatest graphics card means getting left behind in terms of features. Today Nvidia bucks that trend, at least a little bit, by bringing its RTX Video Super Resolution to GeForce RTX 20-series GPUs. The video enhancement tool, previously available to RTX 30-series and newer cards, comes to the older hardware via the 1.5 update of the tool.
If you haven’t heard, Nvidia RTX Super Resolution is a way to enhance 2D video with a bit of AI-enhanced algorithmic processing magic, leveraging the AI tensor cores in RTX GPUs. The idea is to make older and lower-quality videos shine on newer displays and laptops, sort of like an enhanced version of the way a 4K TV will upscale a 1080p input signal. Super Resolution can enhance web video in the Chrome or Edge browsers, as well as local playback in VLC. It’s included in the Nvidia Control Panel tool.
Further reading: Tested: Nvidia’s RTX Video Super Resolution is like going from VHS to Blu-ray
RTX Super Resolution isn’t related to any version of DLSS upscaling for games and other 3D content — they’re completely separate technologies. Even so, it’s nice to see Nvidia make good on the promise it made earlier this year to bring the feature to Turing-based desktop and laptop GPUs.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.