[CrystalP]

Kodi can activate Video Super Resolution for Intel gpu in v21 Omega prereleases.

Testing and feedback with discrete ARC gpu is requested for fine-tuning before official v21 release.
The team tested with Intel integrated gpu. There wasn't much change in picture quality for progressive material, and the results for interlaced video were inconclusive (some good, some bad with low quality deinterlacing artifacts)

* Turning on VSR
- Kodi v21 alpha 3 (portable install or backup your Kodi data first just in case)
- Request VSR in Kodi: Settings > Player > Allow use DXVA Video Super Resolution: ON
- DXVA render method + DXVA scaler must be used (dxva decoding is not mandatory)

Kodi can only request for VSR to be used, the driver ultimately decides based on a number of conditions and provides no feedback.

Known conditions for VSR:
- SDR only, no HDR
- video <= 1080p
- display resolution > stream resolution

* How to check that Kodi requested VSR?
during playback press alt-o for video debug info and check for the text " Video Super Resolution: requested" in the Render Method line.
(see https://kodi.wiki/view/Player_process_info / Video Debug Info paragraph)

* How to check that VSR is actually active?
Monitor GPU activity in Windows Task Manager > Performance > GPU, there is much larger usage increase when playback starts with VSR engaged (near the max on igpu). Maybe the gpu fan will start spinning.

* What to test
Please test progressive and interlaced sources.
It's possible that the stronger ARC gpu will have more picture improvement than the entry-level ones, so please state the model in your reply.
Check for deinterlacing artifacts (combing, low quality blend of fields, flickering,...).
Intel provides high quality deinterlacing without VSR and it should be the same with VSR or we'll have to think about excluding that case.

[powellandy]

Hi

Can I make sure I've got the methodology right before I swap my A750 back in.

With the GTX 3050 - I had to force DXVA in settings otherwise auto defaults to pixel shaders.

Is the GPU graph below for ON enough to prove VSR is on??

OFF


ON


Thanks
Andy

[CrystalP]

Thanks for trying. I don't have a GTX3050 or equivalent to compare, but usage seems low compared to what I heard previously. Though this is a SD source so maybe there is less work.

Settings visible on the screenshot seem OK so maybe it's the scaler. During playback please go to the OSD, video settings and make sure to select DXVA as scaler (per video or once for all videos)

@ashlar @jogal you have / had a similar nvidia gpu iirc, does the gpu usage of the screenshot look right with/without VSR active?

[ashlar]

@ashlar @jogal you have / had a similar nvidia gpu iirc, does the gpu usage of the screenshot look right with/without VSR active?

Tomorrow I will test and report back. I still have the thin gray line on non-fullscreen videos (either on the horizontal or on the vertical, as in 4:3). I did not have the time to open a bug in github but I'd love to see that further investigated.

[powellandy]

Thanks.

I tried again with 1080p content.
I checked that scale and deinterlace are both DXVA in video settings - they are.

There is definitely a difference. The background usage (ignore the small bumps - that's when I bring taskmon to the foreground) is definitely lower when off than when on.

OFF


ON


I will swap the A750 in and let you know who it goes.

Andy

[powellandy]

Hi

Sorry for the delay in this.

It does seem there is a small bump in 3D useage with SR requested v. SR off.

OFF


ON

[CrystalP]

OK thanks. Any visual improvements?
Did you have a chance to try the deinterlacing?

[brunoocto]

Is VSR available on Arc a380 or only from a750?
I just bought a a380 to test it and I do see any improvement neither the info "Video Super Resolution: requested".
I did enable "Allow use DXVA Video Super Resolution" and my videos are 360p and 720p displayed on a 1440p monitor in fullscreen.

[CrystalP]

In theory it's available for all ARC discrete GPUs.
The first post list the settings that trigger the super resolution mode

- Kodi v21 alpha 3 or later (portable install or backup your Kodi data first just in case)
- Request VSR in Kodi: Settings > Player > Allow use DXVA Video Super Resolution: ON
- DXVA render method + DXVA scaler must be used (dxva decoding is not mandatory)

Setting the dxva scaler is not as obvious as the others, you must open the OSD during playback and go into the video settings.

And check in the video OSD (alt-o) that Kodi requested VSR from the video driver.

[ashlar]

Setting the dxva scaler is not as obvious as the others, you must open the OSD during playback and go into the video settings.

This is a long time pet peeve of mine... why the default scaler is not chosen in settings I've never understood. It's fantastic that we can select a different scaler on a video by video basis (although current options on Kodi are so limited as to make this rather pointless but, still, nice). But why is the default there? Open OSD, set as default for all videos. It's counterintuitive, isn't it?