Intel's Video Super Resolution (VSR) feature is now available for Chromium-based web browsers such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. The news comes a few days after NVIDIA debuted a similar feature called the 'RTX Video Super Resolution' that leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence in the company's GeForce RTX GPUs to deliver improved visual quality for videos streamed on PCs through Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. While Nvidia's VSR is available on PCs running RTX 40 and 30-series GPUs, Intel's technology is only available for devices powered by select Intel Core processors.
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Video Super Resolution is an image upscaling technology that not only enhances the quality of streaming video from lower resolutions to higher, but also improves the quality at native resolution. Intel is yet to make an announcement about the new feature, but it was spotted by tipster SquashBionic. However, online reports suggest that the technology is enabled for the iGPUs in Intel's 10th-gen processors and later. In addition, it also works on the company's Arc line of discrete GPUs that were announced last year. The feature is supported on Chrome version 109 and newer, with iGPU drivers updated to version 27.20.100.8681 or later.
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Enable Intel's VSR On Google Chrome
To enable Intel's VSR in a compatible device, users will have to ensure that hardware acceleration for Chrome is switched on. The feature is enabled by default in modern versions of the browser, but in case it's not, it can be enabled manually. To do this, click on the menu button (three dots) in the top-right corner of Chrome, select 'Settings' from the drop-down menu, expand the 'Advanced' drop-down section in the left sidebar, and then select 'System.' Now find the 'Use hardware acceleration when available' option and switch on the toggle next to it. Restart the browser for the change to take effect.
To switch on Intel's video super resolution, users will have to add a special command to the Chrome shortcut. To do this, right-click on the Chrome desktop shortcut and click on 'Properties.' Next, add the "–enable-features=IntelVpSuperResolution" command-line argument (without quotes) at the end of the existing path in the 'Target' field and click 'Apply.' From now on, every time the browser is started using that shortcut, the video super resolution feature will be enabled.
The video super resolution feature should be available for online videos on most social media platforms and other websites. While Intel is yet to announce the compatible platforms, social media posts suggest that for now, it works on at least Twitch and Chinese video sharing site, Bilibilli. In comparison, NVIDIA's VSR feature works across Twitch, YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu, among other popular video sources, so Intel's tech will likely also work on more platforms once it's ready for prime time.
