Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Decoding How AI-Powered Upscaling on NVIDIA RTX Improves Video Quality

17/07/2024

Editor's note: This post is part of the AI Decoded series, which demystifies AI by making the technology more accessible, and showcases new hardware, software, tools and accelerations for RTX PC and workstation users.

Video is everywhere - nearly 80% of internet bandwidth today is used to stream video from content providers and social networks. While screens have become bigger and support higher resolutions, nearly all video is only 1080p quality or lower.

Upscalers can help sharpen streamed video and, powered by AI on the NVIDIA RTX platform, significantly enhance image quality and detail.

What Is an Upscaler? The larger file size of videos makes it harder to compress and transmit compared to images or text. Platforms like Netflix, Vimeo and YouTube work around this limitation by encoding video - the process of compressing the raw source of a video into a smaller container format.

The encoder first analyzes the video to decide what information it can remove to make it fit a target resolution and frame rate. If the target bitrate is insufficient, the video quality decreases, resulting in a loss of detail and sharpness and the presence of encoding artifacts. The smaller the file, the easier it is to share on the internet - but the worse it looks.

Typically, software on the viewer's device will upscale the video file to fit the display's native resolution. However, these upscalers are fairly simplistic, merely multiplying pixels to meet the desired resolution. They can help sharpen the outlines of objects and scenes, but the final video typically carries encoding artifacts and sometimes looks over-sharpened and unnatural.

AI Know a Better Way The NVIDIA RTX platform uses AI to easily de-artifact and upscale videos.

Easily de-artifact and upscale videos with RTX. The process of AI upscaling involves analyzing images and motion vectors to generate new details not present in the original video. Instead of merely multiplying pixels, it recognizes the patterns of the image and enhances them to provide greater detail and video quality.

Images must be first de-artifacted before any processing begins. Artifacts - or unwanted distortions and anomalies that appear in video and image files - occur due to overcompression or data loss during transmission and storage.

NVIDIA AI networks can de-artifact images, helping remove blocky areas sometimes seen in streamed video. Without this first step, AI upscalers might end up enhancing the artifacted image itself instead of the desired content.

Super-Sized Video Just like putting on a pair of prescription glasses can instantly snap the world into focus, RTX Video Super Resolution, one of NVIDIA's latest innovations in AI-enhanced video technology, gives users a clearer picture into the world of streamed video.

Click the image to see the differences between bicubic upscaling (left) and RTX Video Super Resolution (right). Available on GeForce RTX 40 and 30 Series GPUs and RTX professional GPUs, it uses AI running on dedicated Tensor Cores to remove block compression artifacts and upscale lower-resolution content up to 4K, matching the user's native display resolution.

RTX Video Super Resolution can be used to enhance all video watched on browsers. By combining de-artifacting with AI upscaling techniques, it can make even low-bitrate Twitch streams look stunningly clear. RTX Video Super Resolution is also supported in popular video apps like VLC so users can apply the same upscaling process to their offline videos.

Creators can soon use RTX Video Super Resolution in editing apps like Black Magic's Davinci Resolve, making it easier than ever to upscale lower-quality video files to 4K resolution, as well as convert standard-dynamic range source files into high-dynamic range (HDR).

Say Hi to High-Dynamic Range RTX Video now also supports AI HDR. HDR video supports a wider range of colors, lending greater detail especially to the darker and lighter areas of images. The problem is that there isn't that much HDR content online yet.

Enter RTX Video HDR - by simply turning on the feature, the AI network will turn any standard or low-dynamic-range content into HDR, performing the correct tone mapping so the image still looks natural and retains its original colors.

AI Across the Board RTX Video is just the latest implementation of AI upscaling powered by NVIDIA RTX.

Members of the GeForce NOW cloud streaming service can play their favorite PC games on nearly any device. GeForce RTX servers located all over the world first render the game video content, encode it and then stream it to the player's local device - just like streaming video from other content providers.

Members on older NVIDIA GPU-powered devices can still use AI-enhanced upscaling to improve gameplay quality. This means they can enjoy the best of both worlds - gameplay rendered on servers powered by RTX 4080-class GPUs in the cloud and AI-enhanced streaming quality. Get more information on enabling AI-enhanced upscaling on GeForce NOW.

The NVIDIA SHIELD TV takes this one step further, processing AI neural networks directly on its NVIDIA Tegra system-on-a-chip to upscale 1080p-quality or lower content from nearly any streaming platform to a display's native resolution. That means users can improve the video quality of content streamed from Netflix, Prime Video, Max, Disney+ and more at the push of a remote button.

SHIELD TV is currently available for up to $30 off in North America and £30 or 35 off in Europe as part of Amazon's Prime Day event running July 16-17. For Prime members in Europe, eligible SHIELD TV purchases also include one month of the GeForce NOW Ultimate membership for free, enabling GeForce RTX 4080-class PC gameplay streamed directly to the living room.

AI has enabled unprecedented improvements in video quality, helping set a new
LINK: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/ai-decoded-upscaling/...
See more stories from nvidia

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

10/06/2026

SVG Sit-Down: Team Whistle's Joe Caporoso on Building World Cup Content Around Fans, Culture, IRL Experiences

DAZN-owned digital-media company launches three fan-first series leaning into cr...

10/06/2026

Clear-Com Appoints Jason Dino as Southwest Regional Sales Manager

Clear-Com has announced the appointment of Jason Dino as Southwest Regional Sales Manager USA, covering Southern California and the Southwest region. Dino joins...

10/06/2026

Caretta Research: 2026 World Cup Revenue Growth Due to More Matches; Rights Revenue Up 32%

An 11% decrease in number of global broadcast deals reflects the organization...

10/06/2026

Women Without Boundaries Awards Are Back!

The Women Without Boundaries Awards recognize women whose work is advancing the future of media, broadcast, AV, workplace technology, digital experience, and re...

10/06/2026

On Eve of World Cup Kickoff, FIFA and HBS Offer Deep Dive into IBC Operations, Commentary, and Ref Cam

Today is match day minus two for FIFA and HBS. On Thursday, there will be two ma...

10/06/2026

SES Supporting World's Biggest Soccer Tournament Broadcast Distribution Worldwide

SES is supporting broadcast distribution of the world's biggest football tou...

10/06/2026

BirdDog Achieves Full NDI 6.3 Compatibility Across Entire Product Line

NDI has announced that BirdDog has become the first hardware manufacturer to achieve full NDI 6.3 compatibility across its complete lineup of cameras, encoders,...

10/06/2026

Emmy Award-Winning Audio Team To Present at SVG Audio Symposium

Vince Caputo and Scott Carter, winners of the 2026 Sports Emmy for Outstanding Post Produced Audio have been announced as presenters for the 2026 SVG Advanced A...

10/06/2026

FOX One Set to Deliver World Cup in 4K; Personalization via AI Drives Experience

FOX One today unveiled a slate of new product features and enhancements designed to elevate the viewing experience for fans on the official streaming platform o...

10/06/2026

PWHL Scales Broadcast Operation in Season 3, Relying on World-Feed Model and Key Vendors

Primary production partners Dome Productions and Raycom Sports once again played...

10/06/2026

NFL Films Application Deadline for Women in Sports Filmmaking Experienceship, Augusts 26-29 in Mount Laurel, Closes June 18

The Women in Sports Filmmaking Experienceship is an immersive professional devel...

10/06/2026

NBAs In-House Broadcast Ops & Engineering Teams Power Global Finals Coverage From NYC, San Antonio

The league has expanded its HSAN architecture for the NBA Finals to manage more ...

10/06/2026

MoonPay X Games League Winter Draft Set for September 16 at Cosm Los Angeles

The inaugural MoonPay X Games League (XGL) Winter Draft will take place Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at Cosm Los Angeles from 7-9 p.m. PT. The event will strea...

10/06/2026

University of Oklahoma and Learfield Extend 30-Year Partnership, Announce Sooner Evolution Center

The University of Oklahoma (OU) Athletics Department and Learfield have announce...

10/06/2026

VSF Releases RIST Satellite-Hybrid Out-of-Band Specification

The Video Services Forum (VSF) has released TR-06-4 Part 8, a new specification for RIST Satellite-Hybrid: Out-of-Band Method. The specification creates a mecha...

10/06/2026

Riedel Artist Intercom Powers Live Neurovascular Conference in Lisbon

Riedel Communications provided the communications infrastructure for the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Lisbon, supporting live medical proc...

10/06/2026

Sundance Film Festival 101: Films by LGBTQ+ Directors

A still from The Doom Generation by Gregg Araki (Courtesy of Sundance Institute) By Lucy Spicer Have you checked out our Sundance Film Festival 101 list yet...

10/06/2026

GearExpo UK: Interfaces & Mic Preamp Update

Get Hands-On with Interfaces & Mic Preamp Brands If youre after a new interface or preamp, then GearExpo UK is the place to be! Well have a whole host of au...

10/06/2026

MONO Music Conference 2026

November 13-14 2026, The Midway, San Francisco Following their recent rebranding, MONO Music Conference (formerly Music Expo) have officially announced thei...

10/06/2026

ebbandflow launch with deFORM

Debut instrument free for limited time deFORM is the debut release from newly founded developer ebbandflow, and it's being offered as a free download fo...

10/06/2026

Alone Australia Season 4: Meet the Cast

Alone Australia Season 4: Meet the Cast 10 June, 2026 Media releases WATCH THE TRAILER Smash-hit survival series Alone Australia drops its highly anticipa...

10/06/2026

DEADLY THEN, DEADLY NOW, DEADLY ALWAYS: SBS & NITV IGNITE NAIDOC WEEK 2026 WITH 50 YEARS OF DEADLY

DEADLY THEN, DEADLY NOW, DEADLY ALWAYS: SBS & NITV IGNITE NAIDOC WEEK 2026 WITH ...

10/06/2026

Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF advance laser-based drone defense with THORIS LCS

Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF advance laser-based drone defense with THORIS LCS Rohde & Schwarz is showcasing THORIS at ILA 2026: A sovereign, end to end counter...

10/06/2026

MAHLE and Rohde & Schwarz develop application for sensor testing of modern driver assistance systems

MAHLE and Rohde & Schwarz develop application for sensor testing of modern drive...

10/06/2026

NFVF CALL FOR FUNDING APPLICATIONS: PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT 2026/27

Production and Development Funding supports the creation of compelling, commercially viable, artistic and culturally relevant South African screen content. Deve...

10/06/2026

Nielsen launches Four-Screen Ad Deduplication measurement on YouTube campaigns in Japan

Media buyers and sellers can now compare YouTube reach from computer, mobile, an...

10/06/2026

Ecoflow X Launches as Experimentation Arm for Sustainabil...

Accedo, Humans not Robots, and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) have announced the launch of Ecoflow X. Formerly an IBC Accelerator project, ...

10/06/2026

Frequency Appoints James Smith as General Manager - Monet...

Frequency, the engine powering the world's leading streaming television channels, today announced that James Smith has joined the company as General Manager...

10/06/2026

Riedel Artist at the Heart of the 14th World Live Neurova...

At the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Lisbon, Riedel Communications provided the communications infrastructure for live medical procedures s...

10/06/2026

Globecast Unveils Content Exchange Platform Powered by Or...

Globecast, a leading provider of broadcast, media, and entertainment managed services, today announced the launch of its Content Exchange platform powered by Or...

10/06/2026

Venues and integrators shift toward professional recharge...

Klvr will showcase how venues, integrators and production teams are rethinking disposable battery usage at InfoComm 2026 (Las Vegas, June 17-19, booth #N6311). ...

10/06/2026

VSF Releases Specification for RIST Satellite Hybrid Out-...

The Video Services Forum (VSF) has further enhanced the Reliable Internet Streaming Transport (RIST) protocol by incorporating a new feature, RIST Satellite-Hyb...

10/06/2026

Microphone Maker Audix Adds Eric Reese as VP

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

10/06/2026

VEON's Banglalink Brings Every World Cup 2026 Match to Football Fans in Bangladesh on Toffee

10 Jun 2026 VEON's Banglalink Brings Every World Cup 2026 Match to Football...

10/06/2026

How to watch every ICC Womens T20 World Cup 2026 match live on Sky Sports

Wednesday 10 June 2026 How to watch every ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 match live on Sky Sports Where is the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 availabl...

10/06/2026

PRLA brings first-ever Beautifully Clean Oral Care TV campaign to screens nationwide with Sky

Wednesday 10 June 2026 P RLA brings first-ever Beautifully Clean Oral Care'...

10/06/2026

Sky reveals pulse-pounding first teaser trailer for upcoming crime drama Fightland

Wednesday 10 June 2026 Sky reveals pulse-pounding first teaser trailer for upco...

10/06/2026

Riedel Artist at the Heart of the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference

Wuppertal June 10, 2026 Riedel Artist at the Heart of the 14th World Live Neurovascular ConferenceAt the 14th World Live Neurovascular Conference (WLNC) in Li...

10/06/2026

Netflix Showcases New Mobile Experience, Collections and Games Vision in APAC

Back to All News Netflix Showcases New Mobile Experience, Collections and Games Vision in APAC Product 10 June 2026 GlobalSouth KoreaJapan Link copied to c...

10/06/2026

Ready to Join? The Netflix Fan Club Arrives at Cannes Lions

Back to All News Ready to Join? The Netflix Fan Club Arrives at Cannes Lions Business 10 June 2026 Global Link copied to clipboard Download all assets N...

10/06/2026

June 10, 2026

Chemists snap together complex 3D molecules from highly reactive radicals-without losing their shape Scripps Research team develops stereoretentive radical-radi...

09/06/2026

Kiswe Expands Partnership With ONE Championship To LaunchGlobal Subscription Platform

Kiswe announces an expanded long-term partnership with ONE Championship (ONE), t...

09/06/2026

SiriusXM to Carry All 104 FIFA World Cup 2026 Matches via FOX Sports Commentary

SiriusXM will broadcast FOX Sports' English-language commentary for all 104 FIFA World Cup 2026 matches from June 11 through July 19, available to subscribe...

09/06/2026

EVS Broadcast Equipment Rebrands as EVS

EVS has announced it is changing its corporate name from EVS Broadcast Equipment to EVS, reflecting the company's expanded portfolio beyond broadcast equipm...

09/06/2026

FOX and NFL Announce Multi-Year Agreement for NFL Coverage in Mexico Starting in 2026

Fox Corporation and the NFL have announced a multi-year agreement to bring NFL c...