AMD FSR support is coming soon to YouTube and VLC

[Daniel Sims]

Something to look forward to: PCs equipped with Nvidia RTX graphics cards have been capable of applying ML-based upscaling to video playback and streaming for almost a year – whether people actually use it is another question. Now, AMD is introducing similar technology to systems with a wider range of GPUs. It will be interesting to compare Team Red's solution to the competition.

Among AMD's CES 2024 announcements was the confirmation that the company will enable video enhancement through FSR upscaling. The functionality to upscale streaming videos will arrive with the next Radeon Adrenalin driver update, and an update to VLC supporting the technology for offline content will arrive sometime in the first quarter.

The reveal didn't feature any live demonstrations, but AMD hinted that upscaling a YouTube video from 720p to 1440p could result in a noticeably clearer image.

Nvidia introduced RTX Video Super Resolution about a year ago, which offers upscaling support in the browser for YouTube and streaming services, as well as for offline footage in VLC. The initial reception of "RTX VSR" was quite modest, but it has received a more positive response from users following subsequent updates.

However, like DLSS, Nvidia's solution only supports the company's RTX graphics cards. Meanwhile, AMD FSR works on most hardware, including consoles and GPUs from competitors, so its video upscaling counterpart might be usable on a wide variety of devices. The company hasn't listed system requirements or said whether it could bring video upscaling to non-PC systems.

It remains unclear which browsers will support this new functionality. RTX Video Super Resolution was not available on Firefox until well after its adoption by Chrome and Edge. Notably, Edge also includes a separate solution compatible with both Nvidia and AMD hardware, as does Opera GX. AMD's FSR Video will inevitably be compared to Nvidia's. In image quality comparisons, DLSS usually outperforms FSR, particularly in handling motion.

The development would leave Intel as the only GPU maker without a video upscaling solution, but given their response in areas like super resolution and frame generation, it wouldn't be surprising to see them develop a video upscaling solution based on XeSS, too. That would surely provide another selling point for the company's latest CPUs, which include AI hardware features and integrated graphics that support machine learning-based upscaling.

The AMD Radeon Adrenalin driver update will also improve AVC, HEVC, and AV1 encoding on RDNA 3 GPUs.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/101480-amd-fsr-support-coming-soon-youtube-vlc.html

 

[kira setsu]

I dont see the point of upscaling yt videos, if their solution works like nvidias then youll just be making extra heat in your rig because the cards work so much harder to render video.

 

[yRaz]

I dont see the point of upscaling yt videos, if their solution works like nvidias then youll just be making extra heat in your rig because the cards work so much harder to render video.

It doesn't use that much power. If it did that would mean that the compute require to make itnfunction wouldn't increase performance. In this instance, we're looking for an increase in quality rather than an increase in performance.

 

[trparky]

So, this will only work on YouTube videos? What about other streaming services? HBO Max? Paramount Plus? What about those?

 

[yRaz]

So, this will only work on YouTube videos? What about other streaming services? HBO Max? Paramount Plus? What about those?

For those you have to use their apps on your smart devices

 

[kiwigraeme]

I dont see the point of upscaling yt videos, if their solution works like nvidias then youll just be making extra heat in your rig because the cards work so much harder to render video.

Their already quite a few GPU rendering and upscaling tools. Check your current media player you use and maybe see in playback options for rendering and upsizing . Some use a bit more oomph like Lanczos-3 . Suppose only work on a YT download , but maybe there is an extension

The "AI" in the later GPUs will be used more extensively for this as well going forward

 

[DubiousFishHook]

Sounds better than AI / A.I. I want to see the clip/game, not what a 15 $ chip wants me to see.

So, this will only work on YouTube videos? What about other streaming services? HBO Max? Paramount Plus? What about those?

I'm afraid you still will need to bittorrent the shows if you want versions without noise, grain & graphical artefacts.

 

[trparky]

I'm afraid you still will need to bittorrent the shows if you want versions without noise, grain & graphical artefacts.

Yeah, but what if I want to have Star Trek DS9 look better than the 480i crap that we get from most streaming sources?

 

[yRaz]

Yeah, but what if I want to have Star Trek DS9 look better than the 480i crap that we get from most streaming sources?

You shut up and enjoy it because that's the best star trek series and it isn't your fault they don't want to remaster it like they did TNG. You have my condolences because I just rewatched all of DS9 on a 65" 4k TV

 

[Mr Majestyk]

I dont see the point of upscaling yt videos, if their solution works like nvidias then youll just be making extra heat in your rig because the cards work so much harder to render video.

Luckily they invented something called hardware acceleration which makes the PC work less hard.

 

[Mr Majestyk]

Yeah, but what if I want to have Star Trek DS9 look better than the 480i crap that we get from most streaming sources?

Alas DS9 has never had a HD remaster IIRC, unlike Next Gen or Voyager. No one will have good source material for DS9.

 

[trparky]

Alas DS9 has never had a HD remaster IIRC, unlike Next Gen or Voyager. No one will have good source material for DS9.

That's why I was hoping hardware-based auto-upscale would help in that regard.

 

[Watzupken]

I dont see the point of upscaling yt videos, if their solution works like nvidias then youll just be making extra heat in your rig because the cards work so much harder to render video.

I feel it depends. If your PC hardware is capable of running these codecs smoothly at 4K, then all well and good. But for older hardware, the ability to render the video at lower resolution without significant deterioration in quality is a win. Plus, if you have a metered network, the lower resolution also will result in less data used.

 

[yRaz]

I feel it depends. If your PC hardware is capable of running these codecs smoothly at 4K, then all well and good. But for older hardware, the ability to render the video at lower resolution without significant deterioration in quality is a win. Plus, if you have a metered network, the lower resolution also will result in less data used.

So I have the issue where I *only* get 50gigs of high-speed mobile Hotspot data and 90% of my video entertainment comes from YouTube. I frequently play videos at 360 or 480p when I'm away from home. I plan in buying a laptop with AMDs new APU in it with the 780m graphics card(specifically the Minisform V3 tablet whenever that gets released) so this is perfect.