Google Chrome browser gets Nvidia RTX GPU tech that could revolutionize Netflix viewing
>
Google Chrome now supports new Nvidia technology that upscales video playback in the web browser with seemingly impressive results, or at least this feature is now being tested live.
video cardz (opens in new tab) (through Tom’s hardware (opens in new tab)) noted the preview release of the technology called Nvidia RTX Video Super Resolution, which is basically the equivalent of DLSS, but for in-browser video. Nvidia showed it off at CES 2023, showing a clip from Apex Legends shot at 1080p, for instance, which was upscaled to 4K; and it looked very smart indeed (see the video clip below).
Like DLSS, RTX uses Video Super Resolution (VSR) AI to upscale the footage and can work its magic on videos with resolutions ranging from 360p to 1440p.
Is there a catch? Kind of, because as the name suggests, this is only for RTX graphics cards – and Nvidia only supports newer RTX 3000 and 4000 models. Those with an RTX 2000 family GPU won’t be able to take advantage of it – at least not initially (we’ll get to that later).
As mentioned earlier, VSR is currently being tested, as an early stable update for Google Chrome to be precise, before a full rollout (with Chrome version 110) in the near future. The feature is also coming to Microsoft Edge (which is also based on the Chromium engine), but it will also require a new GeForce driver to work with the finalized release in the respective browser.
Analysis: Improving the quality of Netflix streams – and much more
We’re very interested to actually see this in action, as the results Nvidia has shown look convincing to say the least. But unfortunately this writer will have to rely on feedback from others as he only has a 20 series RTX graphics card in his PC.
The good news, though, is that Nvidia has promised to bring support for the technology to RTX 2000 cards in the future, though we don’t have a timetable (we were told at Twitter (opens in new tab) that the “RTX 20 series [is] come later”).
For those using Google Chrome (most people), or indeed Edge, which has an Nvidia RTX GPU, this could be a huge step up for watching videos in the browser, from streaming games to watching Netflix , and basically everything. It’ll be really cool to be able to watch a movie on the likes of Netflix in Full HD and get that upscaled to 4K in the browser, if indeed the results work as smoothly as the game footage Nvidia showed off at CES.
Keep in mind that the technology may be included in Chrome very soon, but you won’t be able to use it until the next GeForce graphics driver arrives, expected to arrive in late February (assuming there are no hiccups). When that happens, you’ll also need to enable the feature in the Nvidia Control Panel (it’s not set to run by default).