Nvidia announced during CES this week that it plans to roll out its RTX Video Super Resolution feature in February for web video content viewed through Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers. The company promises AI upscaling up to 4K quality, but the feature requires a PC running a Nvidia 30- or 40-series GPU. The technology — which can upscale video with resolution between 360p and 1440p, including 1080p, and up to a 144Hz frame rate — has already been available on Nvidia Shield TV and Shield TV Pro streaming media players. However, introducing browser support should significantly increase its audience.

According to The Verge, “a video demonstration of the tech at work on ‘Apex Legends’ footage shows edges being sharpened, and video artifacts reduced. Nvidia’s demo shows RTX Video Super Resolution at work on a YouTube video, but its blog post notes that should work on ‘any video watched in a browser,’ which should cover other streaming services like Netflix.”

Nvidia’s “tool cleans up any jagged bits, using the AI power of the tensor cores embedded in modern GeForce GPUs,” explains PCWorld. The process removes “blocky compression artifacts, which are large pixel blocks that cause distortion” and “gives the input a good scrub down and then makes it bigger. The idea is to improve video quality on larger displays and make binging your favorite shows more pleasant to look at.”

“Upscaling really is the future of PC performance,” suggests PC Gamer, “and it was only a matter of time before someone turned one of these clever algorithm’s attention to our binge-watching habits.”

To see the 4K AI upscaling for Chrome and Edge browsers in action, Nvidia Studio has posted a short video demo (see screen grab above). According to one viewer’s comment: “Ever since using the Nvidia Shield with AI upscaling for movies, I have wanted it everywhere! Getting it on PC is fantastic.”

Other comments seem equally enthusiastic, although not surprisingly there are numerous requests for Firefox support and a future in which similar tech can help with lower resolution video.