Microsoft Edge Testing AI-Powered Video Super Resolution Feature for Low Quality Videos

Microsoft Edge is reportedly working on a new feature that will enhance the quality of videos played on the Web. It will not only upscale low-resolution videos, but also remove artifacts using Nvidia GPUs. The firm has already begun testing the new features for Windows users on the browser’s testing channel and about 50 percent of user should have access to the new capabilties. The feature, once enabled, will let users enjoy clear videos on YouTube and other streaming platforms without sacrificing bandwidth, according to the company.

Details of the new feature were announced in a blog post by the company on Wednesday. The experimental video enhancement feature, powered by AI technology is called Video Super Resolution (VSR) and upscales low-resolution videos while removing blocky artifacts, using machine learning.

Photo Credit: Microsoft/ Blender Foundation

However, not all users will be able to use Microsoft Edge’s video super-resolution (VSR) feature. Users must ensure that their device has an Nvidia RTX 20/30/40 series or AMD RX5700-RX7800 series GPU. The videos should be less than 720p resolution and have a height and width of more than 192 pixels. Also, the video shouldn’t be protected with Digital Rights Management technologies like PlayReady or Widevine. Finally, the device must have a constant AC power supply, according to Microsoft.

Microsoft Edge’s new VSR feature is currently rolling out on the Canary channel to about 50 percent of users, the company says. Once the feature is enabled, Users can tap on the “HD” icon that appears in the address bar to enable or disable the feature.

Last month, Microsoft Edge rolled out a new version with an inbuilt secure network VPN service. The inbuilt VPN in the web browser is said to offer 1GB per month of free VPN traffic along with 15GB of free data.