Got a good GPU? Think 1080p upscaling to 4K is a gimmick? MPC-HC+madVR will change your life!

[Fire&Blood]

I've been using VLC for a long time, last year I moved my PC into the living room and went with a 65" 4K TV.
I didn't know that a media player utilized GPU to enhance video playback existed and when I first heard about it,I dismissed the benefits as placebo effect and gimmicks but installed it to try it out anyway. Didn't do a direct comparison between different media players, just setup basic upscaling settings and didn't do any further testing. Fast forward to last week, I didn't know how good I had it until I decided to do a fresh OS install and tried media playback before reinstalling MPC&madvr combo.

This time around I played with the settings even more. I pushed the IQ settings a lot higher, to the point where the GPU couldn't handle it and playback was stuttering (no SLI support sadly) and then backed off a little til playback was smooth again.

To compare it, this must be what before and after cataract surgery feels like.

Few caveats: Playback disc/file has to be decent, not uncompressed BR but not terrible either. 720p doesn't work quite as well as 1080p upscaling. RGB range needs to be set to full and to get the most out of it display should be calibrated through http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/

A setup guide can be found here: http://www.avsforum.com/forum/26-home-theater-computers/1357375-advanced-mpc-hc-setup-guide.html

Keep in mind this setup guide was done with older GPU's in mind. The better the GPU, the better image quality you can push. My 980TI is nowhere near able to max out the settings but the image quality keeps improving though the GPU can't keep up for a smooth playback so I have to take it down a notch. For reference this is a screenshot of the settings I'm using, you'll have to experiment with other settings to get the most out of it:

If you watch the Game of Thrones season 6 finale through this setup, in the opening scenes, Tommen is getting dressed, you can see dust specs floating around. Grab any content you have seen before with non GPU utilizing player and you will instantly notice the difference in image quality. A lot more detail and sharper image.

 

[TheELF]

Do you already use SVP?
If not get ready to get your mind blown once again.

 

[Fire&Blood]

Do you already use SVP?
If not get ready to get your mind blown once again.

Unfortunately, I never got it to work. It had the same impact on performance as pushing the upscaling settings too high, unwatchable even with the lowest SVP settings.

 

[Fire&Blood]

I just tried SVP again, the performance issue persists. To make matters worse, it requires all components to be 32 bit and it requires ffdshow, that filter introduces major dithering in all but highest bit rate files.

 

[hoorah]

I appreciate the experience and the post. I'm on the verge of upgrading from 1080P to 4K and while I've just been using emby/WMC/kodi for playback have always meant to get around to configuring madVR and similar post-process effects.

Because of the graphics card shortage, I bought a 1050ti for my main desktop and planned to move that card over to my HTPC when prices for the big cards became more reasonable. Hopefully that happens sooner rather than later.

 

[sub-80]

Hey Guys;

I am upgrading my htpc to accomdate 4K videos. But i recently heard of madvr. So i have two questions:
1-I have hdr on my sony x90e 4k tv do i need madvr?
2- if madvr is needed or alot better, should i use my gtx 1080 and buy a gaming graphics card or buy a gtx 1070 as alot of people have specified it as max required.



Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[Ccrys]

I've been using VLC for a long time, last year I moved my PC into the living room and went with a 65" 4K TV.

If you watch the Game of Thrones season 6 finale through this setup, in the opening scenes, Tommen is getting dressed, you can see dust specs floating around. Grab any content you have seen before with non GPU utilizing player and you will instantly notice the difference in image quality. A lot more detail and sharper image.

Can you post actual settings with a newer version for madvr?

What episode and time scene are the captures from GOT?

 

[PeterScott]

Can you post screen shots out of this to compare, or does the magic disappear then?

Because yeah, I have been seeing these claims for years, and they always look like an over-hyped gimmick when tested. No better than simply apply USM (Unsharp Masking), which sharpens any image, but at the expense of artifacts.

 

[Fire&Blood]

You guys are a couple months late...
This is the only GPU accelerated media solution that I am aware of. All IQ options are very transparent in settings, "faux filters" have their own separate tab in the settings menu. If I crank the settings up, there is definitely an IQ improvement observable, along with a GPU load resembling playing a demanding video game.

The images were from the season 6 finale. Since this was 4 months ago, I can't help you with scene info.
What I can tell you is that, in the opening scene, Tommen is getting dressed and a couple of details like the motif on his clothing, and hairs on his neck are more pronounced. I've noticed specks of dust floating in the air during static scenes.

 

[shortylickens]

Mpeg acceleration has been around since DOS.