LOG
Feb 9,2020 - Started this with SCALING section
Mar 8, 2020 - Added PRFILING section and corrected some spelling (also added my current setting.bin)
July 18, 2080 - Cancel HDR for this post ... will create separate one just for HDR
This guide will try to simply explain MadVR following settings:
*scaling
*profiling*HDR
For other MadVR options refer to https://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/MadVR_Expert_Guide.
SCALING
Most of us are used to images being described in RGB colorspace. RGB has 3 channels - Red Green Blue. Together they define each pixel color and brightness.
Video is encoded in YCbCr colorspace. This also has 3 channels - Y (luma) Cb (blue difference) Cr (red difference). Basically Y defines brightness of pixel and it looks like greyscale image. Cb and Cr together define the color/hue of pixel and are referred to as chroma channels. See the attached picture from Wikipedia on how YCbCr channels look and how they are combined to make a whole picture. For more details on YCbCr see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chroma_subsampling. The point of this is - video to consumers are in formats that have separate channel for brightness and colors.
Video that arrives to us is not "full" resolution, but subsampled. Basically the Luma channel arrives to you at full resolution while Chroma channels arrive at lower resolution. Subsampling is usually described with 3 numbers. 4:4:4 means no subsampling (all YCbCr channels are at full resolution). For more details on chroma subsampling see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chroma_subsampling. Video that arrives to us is usually 4:2:0 (see attached picture from Wikipedia for what 4:2:0 look like) - meaning video to consumers has Luma/brightness at full resolution and Chroma/color at half resolution.
So scaling is a 2-step process:
1. upscale Chroma to original full resolution
2. now that you have both Luma and Chroma at original full resolution - scale them to the required resolution if needed (for example if your TV is 1080p and your video is 1080p ... only chroma upscaling is required)
MadVR scaling options are grouped under [scaling algorithms] which further groups options under 4 subcategories
[chroma upscaling] - lets you choose the algorithm for scaling the chroma channel to original full resolution
[image downscaling] - lets you choose the algorithm for downscaling chroma and luma to the required resolution (eg you downsacale 4K for your HD TV)
[image upscaling] - lets you choose the algorithm for upscaling chroma and luma to the required resolution (eg you upscale HD for your 4K TV)
[upscaling refinement] - various options for refining scaling results (I will not explain this here ... options there are self explanatory ... if you are interested, just try them one by one and see if you like the results)
Scaling algorithms for [chroma upscaling], [image downscaling], [image upscaling] are presented in a column. The simplest algorithms are on top and as you go down the list - complexity/quality of algorithm will increase (there is also a drop box at bottom of the algorithm list that lets you choose settings for your algorithm). There are bars on the right of algorithm list that indicate the quality of each algorithm:
sharpness - how sharp is chosen algorithm (the more green the better)
hide source artifact - how well chosen algorithm hides artifacts that came with video (the more green the better)
aliasing - how much aliasing chosen algorithm produce (the less red the better)
ringing - how much ringing chosen algorithm produce (the less red the better)
other artifacts - how many artifacts the chosen algorithm produces (the less red the better)
for [image upscaling] the list of algorithms are presented in two columns
(1) upscaling - the algorithm here scales your video directly to the desired resolution ... for example if 720p needs to be scaled to 1080p ... the algorithm will straight away scale by x1.5
(2) doubling - this algorithm doubles or quadruples the video first (as it'ss very cheap to do in terms of processing power) then downscales the result to the desired resolution ... for example if 720p needs to be scaled to 1080p ... the algorithm here will scale by x2 first then downsale by x0.75
for doubling process you can specify the quality of your luma and chroma doubling/quadrupling
TIP: always choose better algorithms for luma upscaling as it is more noticable.
Your GPU will dictate which algorithms you can use. The following will describe tuning process. During movie playback, you will need to press CTR+J to bring MadVR OSD info up onto screen (press CTR+R to reset its statistics)
(1) determine how fast your GPU needs to render each frame. Look at OSD [movie] it will tell you frames per second (fps) of your movie. Divide one by that and you get max limit. For example if movie is 60fps, then limit is 1/60=0.016s=16ms.
(2) look at OSD [average stats -> rendering] if times there exceed the limit determined in step 1, then your scaling algorithms are too complex for your GPU to handle in real time. Choose a simpler algorithm. Your aim is to reduce the rendering time to be within the time limit determined in step 1 (give yourself margin ... so if the limit is 16ms ... then aim for around 12ms rendering times)
(3) if the GPU cannot render a frame in the given time, it will drop that frame, resulting in stuttering ... look at your [dropped frames] ... press CTR+R to reset it ... there should be zero dropped frames while the movie is playing (this number can increase when starting movie or fast forwarding ... but during normal playback - there should be no dropped frames)
If you want one setting to "rule them all" ... choose the most complex movie for tuning:
1. Choose a movie with the highest fps
2. Choose a movie without any black bars (madVR is clever and doesn't scale blackbars ... hence your fine tuning on movie with 2.39:1 movie will not work on 16:9 movie)
3. Choose an actual movie, not a cartoon
4. For chroma upsampling choose 4K resolution
5. Once you determine the chroma algorithm ... pick a 1080p movie to determine the luma algorithm ... remember to always choose better algorithms for luma upscaling. So if necessary reduce chroma algorithm determined in step 4 to pick better one for luma
Now if you say ... but I dont want general setting to "rule them all" ... I want the best possible algorithm for different content I have ... thats where PROFILING comes in ... which I will write about next time
PROFILING
Profiling allows you to apply different MadVR settings to different situations. For example chroma upscaling for HD video to 4K can be set much better quality than for 4K videos. With profiling you can use one setting for HD video and another setting for 4K video.
It is very hard to explain this in general terms so I will walk you through profiling [scaling algorithm] for HD and 4K video and you can apply same principle for your custom profiles
(1) click on [scaling algorithm]
on right there will be button [create profile group]
click on that
(2) choose all four settings [chroma upscaling] [image downscaling] [image upscaling] [upscaling refinement] to be profiled and click OK
(3) [Profile Group 1] will be created with [Profile 1] under it
rename this sensibly so you can make sense of it later
. lets rename [Profile Group 1] to [Video Source] and rename [Profile 1] to [2160p]
(4) click to newly renamed [Video Source] and click [add profile]
[Profile 2] will be created
(5) rename [Profile 2] to [1080p]
(6) repeat step (4) and rename new profile as [Other]
(7) click on [Video Source] and under [profile auto select rules] copy paste following
if ((srcWidth = 3840) or (srcHeight =2160)) "2160p"
else if ((srcWidth = 1920) or (srcHeight =1080)) "1080p"
else "Other"
this tests for conditions and choose appropriate profile make sure your profile names match exactly what you write in "if, else if, else" statement (in my case its "2160p" and "1080p")
note that I test for both height and width of video and if any of those match select appropriate profile (in case I choose to "handbrake" my video and remove black bars)
All you have to do now is tweak settings under each profile to maximize the potential of your GPU
Following are things that can be included in condition
srcWidth
eg srcWidth < 1920 (video height less than 1920)
srcHeight
eg srcHeight = 1080 (video width equal to 1080)
deintFps
eg deintFps > 30 (frame rate higher than 30fps)
fileName
eg fileName = "*anime*" (file name contain 'anime')
fileExt
eg fileExt = "mk*" (file extension starts with 'mk')
filePath
eg filePath = "*UHD*" (file path contains 'UHD')
you can form complex conditions with AND and OR operators
Here is what I have for my scaling profile (its work in progress)
if (fileExt = "mk3d") "3D"
else if (((srcWidth = 3840) or (srcHeight =2160)) and (deintFps > 30)) "2D_UHD_HFR"
else if ((srcWidth = 3840) or (srcHeight =2160)) "2D_UHD"
else if (((srcWidth = 1920) or (srcHeight =1080))and (filePath = "*Film*")) "2D_HDiF"
else if (((srcWidth = 1920) or (srcHeight =1080)) and (filePath = "*Video*")) "2D_HDiV"
else if ((srcWidth = 1920) or (srcHeight =1080)) "2D_HD"
else if (((srcWidth < 1920) and (srcHeight < 1080)) and (deintFps < 25)) "2D_SD"
else "2D_SDi"
you can apply above principles to any MadVR settings to profile them I also attached my MadVR settings (this pushes my 1070 to the limit so if you have lesser GPU, you will need to use less aggressive settings)
FAQs
How do you adjust madVR settings? ›
Tweaking the MadVR Settings. After adding and enabling madVR in MPC-HC, if you start playing a video file with it, you'll see a new icon for madVR appear in the Windows tray. Right-click on it and choose Edit madVR Settings to configure the renderer according to your gear and preferences.
What is the shortcut for madVR settings? ›Use Ctrl+J with the madVR setting dialogue open. Access the madVR configuration as described above.
What size is the GPU queue in madVR? ›The default size of 16 (CPU queue size) and 8 (GPU queue size) should be OK.
Where are madVR settings stored? ›"D:\Programs\SVP 4\madVR\settings. bin" is the location.
How do I change my MPC-HC renderer? ›You can do that through: View -> Renderer Settings -> VSync -> VSync. Tip: you can quickly toggle this option on/off by pressing the V button. Another solution is to select a different video renderer in MPC-HC options. Recommended alternative renderers are: madVR, EVR Sync, EVR, and System Default.
What is control H shortcut used for? ›CTRL+H or Replace button opens the Find tab on the Find and Replace dialog in Excel 2016.
What does control M shortcut do? ›Ctrl+L Aligns the line or selected text to the left of the screen. Ctrl+M Indent the paragraph.
What is the shortcut key of 3d rendering? ›Render Animation (F12)
How much GPU is enough for rendering? ›| Workload | Recommended VRAM | |
|---|---|---|
| GPU Rendering (Passive Workloads) | 8 - 16GB GDDR6/6X | |
| Video Editing, Motion Design, Compositing | General Video Editing | 6 - 8GB GDDR6/5X/5 |
| Video Editing with heavy GPU support, e.g., Davinci Resolve | 8 - 16GB GDDR6 | |
| Motion Design and Composting | 8 - 10GB GDDR6 |
Video Card (GPU)
Anything from the RTX A4000 on up should do nicely for most VR headsets, though you may need an adapter from DisplayPort to HDMI if your headset requires that type of input.
How to choose GPU size? ›
Get a card with at least 6GB, and preferably 8GB or more for gaming at 1080p. You'll need more memory if you play with all the settings turned up or you install high-resolution texture packs. And if you're gaming at very high resolutions such as 4K, more than 8GB is ideal.
How do I know what version of madVR I have? ›To check the version of madVR, in MC go to Tools --> Options --> Video --> ... Open madVR Settings (Advanced) : then in the madVR Settings Pop up you will see the version in the Bottom Left Hand of the window.
Is MPC-be good? ›Both MPC-BE and MPC-HC are great media player software with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. Choosing the right one for you will depend on your personal preferences and the specific features you need.
How do I add madVR to MPC? ›Launch MPC-BE and navigate to View -> Options. Next navigate to the Video section. You should see a drop down menu option labeled Video renderer and set it to madVR. Now navigate to Internal Filters and disable everything for both Video Decoders and Audio Decoders tabs.
Which MPC video renderer is best? ›MPC Video Renderer 0.3.2.860
This is the best video renderer among Built-in D3D11 video renderer (potplayer), Sync renderer - Gothic (MPC-HC) and MPC video renderer (MPC-BE). Other video players that cannot use LAV filters definitely have poor video quality. In the past, potplayer was the king of video player.
- Requirements: Install MPC-BE: download. -- Install options: Default Installation + "MPC Video Renderer" option checked.
- Windows 10 settings: Settings app -> System -> Display -> HDR and WCG/Use HDR/Play HDR.. -> Off.
- MPC-BE settings: MPC-BE app -> -- View -> Options -> ...
- Test. MPC-BE app ->
Ctrl+Shift+8 does not delete comments. It's a toggle to hide/show comments. Just use it again to show the comments.
What does Control n mean? ›Opens a new window. Ctrl+N. Opens a new tab. Ctrl+T. Opens a new window in incognito mode.
What is Control J? ›In Microsoft Word and other word processors, pressing Ctrl + J justifies the current line to evenly space its text or words between the left and right margins of the page.
What are the 20 shortcut keys? ›- Copy: Ctrl + C.
- Cut: Ctrl + X.
- Paste: Ctrl + V.
- Maximize Window: F11 or Windows logo key + Up arrow.
- Open Task View: Windows logo key + Tab.
- Display and hide the desktop: Windows logo key + D.
- Switch between open apps: Alt + Tab.
- Open the Quick Link menu: Windows logo key + X.
What does control D mean? ›
In an Internet browser, press Ctrl+D: Ctrl+D bookmarks or adds the current page to favorites in all major Internet browsers (e.g., Edge, Chrome, Opera, Firefox). For example, you may now bookmark this website by using Ctrl+D.
What is Alt P used for? ›In Microsoft Word, pressing Alt + P opens the Page Layout tab in the Ribbon. After using this shortcut, you can press an additional key to select an option in the Page Layout tab. For example, after pressing Alt + P , you could press M to open the Margins menu.
What is Shift N in Blender? ›Rendering in Blender is a breeze with shortcuts (Source: KatsBits) There are a few other changes that are worth noting: Shift + N recalculates normals in mesh mode. Shift + ` (accent grave) lets you toggle fly mode for the camera. F11 recalls your render.
What is F4 in 3D Max? ›Edge Faces Shortcut: Press F4 from the keyboard to view the edge face and shaded face of the object both at the same time.
Which default shortcut key is used for rendering? ›| Keyboard Shortcut(s) | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + P | Start a Preview render from the current view node. |
| Ctrl + Shift + P | Start a Live render from the current view node. |
| Spacebar | Maximizes the pane currently below the mouse pointer. If the pane is already maximized, Spacebar restores it to its previous size. |
So, yes, amount of RAM matters a lot, it can make or break your render. Have enough RAM and you'll get the full speed of the CPU or GPU that you bought for the system, run out and you'll be waiting far longer for those pixels to show up.
What is the most important component for rendering? ›Rendering absolutely hammers the processor so the CPU is arguably the most important component when choosing rendering hardware. Each CPU features multiple processors (called cores). The more cores you have, the faster the render. As a rule of thumb, doubling the number of cores halves the rendering time.
Is rendering faster on CPU or GPU? ›GPU rendering has some benefits that make it attractive for many projects. First, GPU rendering is usually faster than CPU rendering, especially for scenes with high resolution, complex lighting, and many textures. This is because GPUs have more cores and can handle parallel tasks better than CPUs.
Is VR CPU heavy or GPU heavy? ›But what many people don't realize is that VR is also very CPU intensive. This means that it requires a powerful computer to run properly, and it can be quite expensive to set up.
Is 16GB of RAM enough for VR? ›Recommended memory (RAM) for PC VR gaming
This is a very easy one. 16GB should be the minimum RAM in a VR gaming PC, enabling you to dump large amounts of data into system memory, and multi-task with applications. 32GB will give you extra headroom, but few VR games will push you to the limits of 16GB right now.
Do you need a good CPU or GPU for VR? ›
A powerful CPU and GPU are essential for running the software that powers VR experiences. Additionally, a high-end VR headset is also necessary for an immersive experience. By choosing the right hardware, you can ensure that you get the most out of your VR experience.
Is it better to have a higher or lower GPU? ›Processing 2D and 3D graphics, rendering polygons, mapping textures, and more require powerful, fast GPUs. The faster your graphics/video card (GPU) can process information, the more frames you will get every second.
Do you want high or low GPU? ›As is known to all, GPU matters a lot in gaming. It is a dedicated graphics rendering hardware that reduces the load of CPU. Without GPU, CPU will endure a large amount of load and the computer performance will be unstable, too. The higher usage GPU is, the better performance your graphics card will have.
What is considered a high end graphics card? ›The latest high-end graphics cards have a core clock speed of 2GHZ and above. Our comparison table show the specs of Nvidia's latest high-end graphics cards, the RTX 4070 Ti, RTX 4080, and RTX 4090. Alternatively, you could consider AMD models.
What is MPC video renderer? ›MPC Video Renderer is a video renderer for Windows that is based on Microsoft's DirectShow technology. It is part of the Media Player Classic - Black Edition (MPC-BE) project, which is a popular open-source media player that is known for its lightweight design and extensive features.
What is mad VR? ›madVR is a DirectShow video renderer used by hundreds of thousands of home theater enthusiasts around the world.
How to install madVR potplayer? ›- Install Potplayer and Haali with the default settings.
- Install Lav filters and uncheck anything that you don't need (x64 and the audio if using ffdshow)
- Extract madVR and run install. bat as an administrator.
- Install xy-VSFilter.
- Enhanced Video Renderer.
- VMR9 Renderless.
- Haali's Video Renderer.
- Madvr Video Renderer.
Click on the Start button or press the Windows Key on your keyboard. Then, type "LAV Filters" to locate them, and "run" each filter's configuration panel. In the last versions of MPC-HC, where the LAV filters are "baked-in", you can move to the app's Options and, from there, to the Internal Filters section.
Can you install plugins on MPC? ›The MPC 2.11 update gives all MPC users access to four new synth plugins: Hype, Solina, Mellotron, and Odyssey. These plugins are exclusive to the MPC software (v2. 11 and up), and can even be installed on MPC standalone hardware* for standalone use.
Is VLC better quality than MPC? ›
When video files were tested on both these platforms, MPC-HC provides decent results. Even the 4K content was displayed well on MPC-HC but VLC caused little loss for frames while missing the smoothness in between.
Why is MPC better than VLC? ›MPC and VLC are excellent choices for a media player. They have their pros and cons, so it really depends on your needs as to which one you should choose. If you need a lightweight media player, MPC is more suitable. If you need a media player with many features, VLC is better.
What is the best MPC video renderer? ›MPC Video Renderer 0.3.2.860
This is the best video renderer among Built-in D3D11 video renderer (potplayer), Sync renderer - Gothic (MPC-HC) and MPC video renderer (MPC-BE). Other video players that cannot use LAV filters definitely have poor video quality. In the past, potplayer was the king of video player.
It works on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.
What is mad VR alternative? ›- 264 votes. VLC Media Player 3.0.18. A highly portable and popular multimedia player for multiple audio and video formats. ...
- 90 votes. MPC-HC (Media Player Classic) 2.0.0. MPC-HC is a lightweight, open source media player. ...
- 9 votes. Kantaris Media Player 0.7.9.
Introducing Envy MK2
madVR Labs has just announced the Envy MK2. The Envy Extreme MK2 is powered by the Nvidia 4080 GPU, boosting processing power by as much as 100% over the 3080 used in the original Extreme (now designated MK1), while also offering exceptional benefits in cooling and efficiency.
Use Direct3D 11 Video Renderer in PotPlayer... Also EVR custom present can be used too... So if you're using PotPlayer then you don't need to use any external stuffs (renderer, codecs, filters, etc...)
How do I improve video quality in PotPlayer? ›Open PotPlayer and click on three horizontal bars in the top left corner. After menu opens, click on preferences. 1. On the left side click on "playback" and under "process priority" on the right side of the window select "high" instead of "Above normal" - if you want to allocate more resources to playback.
How do I enable HDR in PotPlayer? ›Click on the “Devices” dropdown. Select the monitor which is capable of HDR and expand the settings. Select the HDR category and make sure “Let madVR decide” is selected, then select OK to close the settings.