The Internet today is dominated by streaming video, with websites like YouTube, Netflix, and Twitch accounting for nearly 80% of global bandwidth. While high-definition displays have become the standard, less than 10% of streaming videos meet this visual standard.

This presents a frustrating dilemma for viewers. For example, when watching 1080p streaming videos on a 4K display, the videos must be scaled. Browsers primarily rely on basic interpolation methods, which can result in blurry and distorted images.

Last year, NVIDIA took action to address this issue. They developed RTX Video Super Resolution, an AI-driven system that can enhance the resolution of streaming videos to levels that existing tools cannot achieve. This technology has proven to be a breakthrough in restoring details lost due to aggressive compression codecs.

Now, NVIDIA researchers are turning their attention to another aspect of low-quality streaming - color and contrast. At CES in January, they introduced a new companion technology to RTX VSR called RTX Video HDR.

This technology aims to convert standard dynamic range (SDR) videos to high dynamic range (HDR) on HDR10 displays. In short, RTX Video HDR uses the power of AI to vividly present standard videos, injecting vibrant colors and preserving details that may be lost due to compression.

It achieves this by identifying regions in each frame that benefit from expanded contrast and color depth. It then reconstructs these regions to display more vivid and detailed visual effects on HDR-enabled displays.

According to NVIDIA, RTX Video HDR can enhance videos from any source, including games, movie streaming services, video conferencing applications, and even user-generated content. It preserves the fine details that may be compressed during the encoding process.

RTX Video HDR was launched as part of NVIDIA's January Studio Driver and is now available as a simple toggle option in the NVIDIA Control Panel. Once enabled, it automatically converts SDR videos displayed in Chromium-based browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge into stunning optimized HDR formats.

With RTX Video HDR, NVIDIA not only addresses current issues; it also paves the way for the future of digital visual experiences. This is another example of how AI subtly but significantly enhances our digital lives and accelerates our interaction with digital content. Combined with NVIDIA's DLSS 3 for smooth framerates and Reflex for low latency, it foreshadows a future where movie-quality visual effects become commonplace in everyday consumer content.