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Nvidia’s RTX Video HDR and Super Resolution (VSR) are graphics-boosting AI features that you can enable through Nvidia’s GPU software. RTX Video HDR, different from in-game HDR, boosts color dynamic range by converting standard dynamic range video streams into vibrant HDR10 (High Dynamic Range) for HDR-compatible monitors. Essentially, it uses AI and the RTX Tensor Cores to dynamically remap the video (coloring) by analyzing lighting and color, then boosting shadows and highlights to improve quality. In comparison, you’d use RTX HDR rather than RTX Video HDR if you want an HDR-like experience in older games that don’t officially support it.
Nvidia VSR is another feature that also uses AI and RTX Tensor Cores to upgrade the video quality. It does this by upscaling the video resolution and removing blocky compression artifacts to sharpen and clarify the video; it can effectively turn a 720p or 1080p stream into 4K.
If your hardware (one of Nvidia’s latest GPU models, GeForce RTX 20-series or newer) can handle both Video HDR and Super Resolution, use them together, since they can work in tandem to dramatically improve video quality. However, because these enhancements use AI and depend on specific hardware to work properly, test them before committing full-time. Mainly because, while the feature improves what you see, it might not get it right or feel stable, possibly altering the natural experience of your video stream playback.
Testing it yourself is easy as long as you have Windows 10 or 11 installed, a compatible GPU and HDR monitor (the latter being for RTX Video HDR and requiring you to enable Windows HDR), and a supported browser or media player with hardware acceleration enabled. Once you have that, download the official Nvidia app, then turn on the relevant toggles to use these game-changing options.
Try out Nvidia RTX Video HDR and Super Resolution
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NVIDIA recommends using its app over the Control Panel for RTX Video HDR and Super Resolution because it offers additional options and features. Outside of the hardware requirements, you will want to ensure you have the Nvidia app downloaded and updated, since the app includes plenty of settings that leverage AI to change the experience, including Video HDR and Super Resolution. You can download the app directly from the Nvidia website; users who haven’t used Nvidia software in a while may still be using GeForce Experience, which the Nvidia app replaces. While the Nvidia app has had issues in its early years, it has improved a lot since.
To see how Nvidia’s video enhancement options work, in the app, select “System” > “Video” and find the “RTX Video enhancements” header. From there, you should see two options: “Super Resolution” and “HDR”; choose one to turn it on and customize it. As mentioned, web browser applications must make sure GPU acceleration is enabled for the settings to take effect. After you apply the new settings, triple-check whether either affects your application’s performance.
The easiest way to evaluate performance is to turn the enhancements on and off and compare how they affect video playback. If the visuals check out, as in no artifacting or other anomalies, and there are no noticeable stutters during playback, then your machine should be fine to run it. As a precaution, you will also want to quickly check GPU usage through the Performance or Stats HUD overlay in the Nvidia app. As such, if you find these settings too demanding or you don’t like how it looks, you can adjust the respective RTX Video HDR sliders or RTX Video Super Resolution quality levels in the RTX Video enhancements section. RTX Video Super Resolution also has an Auto control adjusting quality based on GPU use.
