Microsoft Edge can now enhance old YouTube videos, no matter how bad they look

Added a very interesting tool microsoft edge under the promise improve old videos from YouTube and other online platformsno matter how bad they look. We are talking about Super Resolution Video (VSR)a technology designed to upscale old clips and low-resolution clips to play them at the best quality.

This new feature is still is in experimental phase, so for the moment it is limited to those using the Canarian version of the web browser. However, it may reach the final version of the software very soon if the evolution of its development keeps up with expectations.

Super Resolution video mainly zoom technology similar to others we have seen in the recent past. The most high-profile case that has come to light recently is that of NVIDIA and its RTX Video Super Resolution, which was officially unveiled at CES 2023. However, Microsoft’s utility has some differences from the green-colored giant.

First, VSR can be used in Microsoft Edge on computers with NVIDIA or AMD GPUs. Those from Redmond indicate that the tool will work on both desktops and laptops as long as they have series charts RTX 20, 30 or 40or from RX5700 to 7800.

For those who use laptops, to test this function, it is imperative that the equipment remains connected to the power supply. Also, they should change the Windows settings to make Microsoft Edge run through the GPU.

New to Microsoft Edge is the video scaling tool.

In addition to hardware requirements, content that can be scaled by Microsoft Edge must also meet a few conditions. Firstly, Video Super Resolution works with videos below 720p, if both width and height are greater than 192 pixels..

Another point to consider is that this tool can only be used on videos, not protected by DRM. Therefore, if clips on YouTube or other platforms use anti-piracy technologies such as Widevine or PlayReady, Microsoft Edge will not be able to apply scaling.

As Redmond explained, VSR uses machine learning to improve the quality of any video played in Microsoft Edge. This is achieved by “block-by-block removal of compression artifacts” and the use of algorithms to scale the material to a higher resolution. Thus, the developers promise a clearer and sharper video on YouTube or other similar services.

However, it is worth noting that the company keeps some details a secret. For example, It is not known to what quality it is able to scale the videos in question.. Although it is logical to think that this may depend on the resolution of the original content. It is clear that existing scaling technologies are very effective, but they do not work miracles either.

Those using the Canarian version of Microsoft Edge can now try out this new technology. If your computer meets the hardware requirements, you can register the option manually by typing edge://flags/#edge-video-super-resolution. Once it is available, whenever they visit a website with a video that can be scaled, they will see an “HD” icon in the browser’s address bar. From there, they can enable or disable the feature with a single click.