Upscale DVD movies to HD resolutions with your GPU
As well as upscaling DVD movies, SimHD also sharpens and enhances the picture.
To use the plug-in, you’ll need a copy of ArcSoft’s TotalMedia Theatre media playback software (version 2.1.6.129 or above) and a CUDA-compatible GPU with sufficient horsepower. ArcSoft says that you’ll need a GeForce 8600 GT to upscale video to 1,280 x 720, while a GeForce 8800 GTS or 9600 GT will enable you to upscale your movies to 1,920 x 1,080.
The software allows you to upscale your movies to a variety of resolutions, including the industry-standard 720p and 1080p configurations used in HDTVs, as well as 1,440 x 960. The SimHD plug-in currently exclusively works with Nvidia’s CUDA-compatible GPUs, but interestingly ArcSoft says that there is “other support to come soon”, implying that the software may support ATI GPUs via Stream or OpenCL in the future.
In the meantime, however, this is an Nvidia-only feature, and Nvidia currently insists that its GPUs are the only processors that can process SimHD’s intensive post processing algorithms in real time. According to ArcSoft, the software’s use of Nvidia’s CUDA technology means that it only uses 15 per cent of your CPU resources during upscaling tasks, leaving your CPU free to handle anything else.
Nvidia’s general manager of visual computing solutions, Michael Steele, described the plug-in as “a great way to upgrade your existing library of DVDs! All you need is TotalMedia Theatre and an Nvidia GeForce GPU, and you can instantly turn your movies into near-HD quality.” Steele also added that “ArcSoft SimHD is another great example of how GPU computing is changing the world and providing consumers with real value.”
The SimHD plug-in has an RRP of $19.95 US (£13.71) and can be downloaded from ArcSoft’s website, where you can also buy the plug-in bundled with Total Media Theatre 3 for $89.99 US (£61.75). Bearing in mind that you need ArcSoft’s TotalMedia Theatre software in order to run SimHD, would you be interested in using your GPU to upscale and enhance the picture from DVD movies, or would you rather buy genuine HD movie discs? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.
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Discuss in the forums ReplyThe "sharpens and enhances" stuff is old news - it'll be another set of appalling convolution kernels and oversaturated unpleasantness that does nothing but bring out noise.
Why is everyone so bloody negative with new tech/ideas at the moment?
1st Comment: It's just some old hardware being overclocked higher than anything done before, it's been done before, it's nothing new, all it will do is lower the graphics and somehow make the game look as good as it did on Maximum level, very crap idea imo, they need to release better hardware.
Why is everyone so bloody negative with new tech/ideas at the moment?
As pointed out above, I'll be using VLC to do the same on my computer.
So edge enhancement and other nasty artifacts all over the place.
'Vivid colours'? How about realistic colours.
Oh and good luck getting your GPU to upscale lossy audio to the HD lossless codecs.
Yes, it also works great on the PS3.
This is a total scam. That picture on the article with massive blocks around the super clear section is all you need to look at to know this company has no interest in showing the true merits of whatever results they think they have. Nvidia and ATI's results using the default driver and a fairly decent media player, like "MPC Home cinema" are already pretty much the best you can get DVD to look.
I was hoping for an improvement when I got a PS3, but it turns out my TV is already so good at upscaling SD video that there's no difference at all. Oh well. I suppose it makes me feel good that I chose an excellent TV.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Eagle
You sure?
I have a Sony 40" FullHD, and the difference was pretty big.
You have Upscale selected in options? It's turned off by defult.
Media player and VLC don't at least.
May have to look into different player software soon though, DVD's looked fine on a 17" LCD monitor, but they can look decidedly dodgy on a 24" 1920x1200 res one though
Technically if your PC is outputting 1080p (or any other resolution other than 480p) then it is upscaling the DVD. How well it does it is up to your hardware/software.
My Radeon 3870 and MPC:HC do a fine job on my 42" Toshiba 42RV535U. My Xbox 360 looks like crap in comparison. I do run into the occasional DVD that dislikes my PC, so I am forced to use my Xbox but it has only happened a few times. I doubt this software would make a huge difference, and if it does then it is only a matter of time before the same techniques hit an open source media player.
it better be awesome with the epeen swinging around and suki suki dreams this pr guy has.. I'm pretty sure this will be done outside of cuda soon- anyways anyone give it a try? I would use it if it's good- that picture sure doesn't look that great on bit's article
I'm actually pretty happy with how dvds look on my 1080p 22" anyway. When I sit right back it might as well be HD.
I have been using the Nvidia DVD Decoder with WMP10/11 for a couple years now and no other software compares in my opinion. SimHD I wouldn't say looks better, but it looks different. While the Nvidia DVD decoder looks soft and natural, SimHD looks harsh and the colors are sortof hyper-real. SimHD does look sharper and more detailed, and in fact I might even say it looks close to some of the crappier Bluray transfers; it has kindof a film-grain look (as opposed to the swirls and artifacts I'm used to with scaling) like Bluray movies from the 60's/70's or like a cheap art house theater where the film print has been circulating the country for several months. In A/B comparison, Nvidia DVD decoder looks blurry and soft and lacking detail, SimHD looks sharp and detailed, but this really brings out a harsh grainy look.
So, it's kindof a tossup for me. Either one is watchable, and I could get used to SimHD, but I can't say it's better, just different.
Call it cynical if you like, but it gets harder and harder to believe what we are being told until we have actually seen it with our own eyes doing exactly what it claims to do.
And in the current economic climate, we are all more aware than ever how much a bad purchase (to give another managing director another swimming pool to sit around) is gong to hurt our pocket. When it could have been spent on something that's actually worth while. Like food, heating, a roof over our heads...
I noticed the other day when watching a DVD that the quality was i little off.
The software must be 100% easy, so that even a 3 year old could slap a DVD in and watch it upscaled. Because my partner watches DVD's on my PC when i go out to meet my boss. (working from home) or when i am travelling once in a blue moon.
I also hate hassle of changing settings. i just want something that works perfectly much like my powerDVD software which is stupidly out of date now. lol!