madVR - high quality video renderer (GPU assisted)

[huhn]

you can't build a PC for video playback without a GPU. you don't have to set everthing to "maximum" or something like that you can easily use MadVR with a normal APU.
MadVR can be very very GPU intensive but this depends on the used setting.

[wikita]

i was under the impression that onboard graphics is more than sufficient for video playback, but the little time spent reading up on madvr so far has proven me wrong. i know plenty about audio related matters but not so much video, hence this is doubly confusing for me

where do you think the law of diminishing returns kicks in with regards to settings used and GPU power?

[Mangix]

hi guys, i have a quick question: given how GPU-intensive madvr is, should i use it for my XBMC home theater setup? the GPU will drive the price of my HTPC way up, thereby defeating the point of having one

No need for an external GPU. Just lower the settings of madVR.

[Asmodian]

where do you think the law of diminishing returns kicks in with regards to settings used and GPU power?

This is a subjective question. My GT545 works well with Bicubic75+AR Chroma scaling + 3 Tap Spline + AR Image scaling, smooth motion on, debanding on, and ordered dithering on a 2560x1440 display. The quality is very good.

My Titan isn't good enough (only overclocked to ~1.1 GHz) to max luma doubling NNEDI3 for 720p24 to 1440p display. 128 neuron max, I run 64 neuron if I want to turn on other things like NNEDI3 chroma or ED dithering.

My personal opinion is that madVR price/performance is at about the same place it is for video games, maybe a little below, which now that I think about it is almost scary. :D

A 750 Ti or similar AMD card will give you everything you want (edit: Jinc3+AR, smooth motion, debanding) with headroom but any NNEDI3 would be too much for anything not SD.

In my experience madVR can be set to work well with decent quality on an HD4000 or better, at least with a 1080p display. DXVA2 scaling on Intel might be good enough for you. :)

[tjcinnamon]

Is it possible to upscale to 1080p for somet video and 720p to another using profiles? I have some profiles set up but I'd like to upscale low res videos to 720p because it should take less power and I can ramp up the settings a little more with the saved gpu cycles

[Asmodian]

You can simply set your video player to a smaller window. Anything other then displaying the video smaller would involve a resize; defeating the point of turning up the settings getting it to 720p.

[tjcinnamon]

You can simply set your video player to a smaller window. Anything other then displaying the video smaller would involve a resize; defeating the point of turning up the settings getting it to 720p.

I use full screen exclusive mode. I see reclock can change the target fps, but I'm curious if madvr can lower the resolution than what is set to display in full screen.

Also, am I correct in assuming that an upscale from 320p to 720p will use less processing power than 320p to 1080p (I.e. I can use 64 neurons vs 32)....

[Asmodian]

Also, am I correct in assuming that an upscale from 320p to 720p will use less processing power than 320p to 1080p (I.e. I can use 64 neurons vs 32)....

NNEDI3 can only double so unless you are using quadrupling (not recommended) changing from 1080 to 720 will only decrease performance based on your "Image Scaling" setting which shouldn't be significant compared to NNEDI3.

madVR cannot change your screen's native resolution so unless you want a small picture in the center of your screen there is nothing to do.

[huhn]

madVR cannot change your screen's native resolution so unless you want a small picture in the center of your screen there is nothing to do.

MadVR can change the resolution. but it's pointless to leave the native resolution for multiply reasons and current hardware.

[Anime Viewer]

I use full screen exclusive mode. I see reclock can change the target fps, but I'm curious if madvr can lower the resolution than what is set to display in full screen.

Also, am I correct in assuming that an upscale from 320p to 720p will use less processing power than 320p to 1080p (I.e. I can use 64 neurons vs 32)....

Your right that the system will do less work transfering a 320p video to 720p then it will going from 320p to 1080p.

You can input the settings you want madVR to switch to in madVR settings under devices -> your screen name -> display modes, and enter your resolutions there. (ex: 720p60, 720p59, 720p30, 720p29).

If its a tv screen then it may look good in both 1080 and 720, but if its a notebook or computer monitor if the screen may not look as clear (more blurry) at non-native resolution (depends on your screen quality and its scaling abilities). You'll have to test and see for yourself to see if you notice any drawbacks or not. If you never watch 1080p videos using madVR then you could go with just 720p (or i) entries, but if you do watch 1080p videos using madVR you should enter those with the 720 entries.

[tjcinnamon]

Your right that the system will do less work transfering a 320p video to 720p then it will going from 320p to 1080p.

You can input the settings you want madVR to switch to in madVR settings under devices -> your screen name -> display modes, and enter your resolutions there. (ex: 720p60, 720p59, 720p30, 720p29).

If its a tv screen then it may look good in both 1080 and 720, but if its a notebook or computer monitor if the screen may not look as clear (more blurry) at non-native resolution (depends on your screen quality and its scaling abilities). You'll have to test and see for yourself to see if you notice any drawbacks or not. If you never watch 1080p videos using madVR then you could go with just 720p (or i) entries, but if you do watch 1080p videos using madVR you should enter those with the 720 entries.

yeah, I'm watching it on an HTPC (which is mostly in 1080). However, when watching an internet stream via MPC it is usually around 320p which a 1080p upscale seems unnecessary and too processor intensive.

I'd rather ratchet up the settings and have it upscale to 720p than to have lesser settings (via profile) and upscaled to 1080p.

Does that make sense?

When I set my devices (monitor) in the settings I have: 1080p24, etc..., 720p24 but it always upscales to the monitor resolution in full screen. I'd like to upscale 720p content to 1080p and 320p to 720p.

Not sure if that's possible.

[Soukyuu]

I don't think that's possible since profiles always go by file resolution, not some... transitional step. I also don't think the quality will change for the better with that behavior, if you're low on resources, just go with lower settings. The higher settings do show a difference, but frankly, with a 320p stream you don't have much quality to work with in the first place.

Also, letting madvr upscale to 1080p at lower settings is still better than having your monitor work at 720p (= let your monitor do the upscaling)

[michkrol]

I'd rather ratchet up the settings and have it upscale to 720p than to have lesser settings (via profile) and upscaled to 1080p.

Does that make sense?
It makes little sense. You're basically sending a (subjectively) higher quality signal to your display, so it can "destroy" it by using some kind of scaling algorithm, which usually is bad, except maybe for some TVs.
You will get best quality by using your display's native resolution.

Do you have some performance issues going 320p->1080p which you don't get for 320p->720p or are you just against unnecessarily using power and generating noise/heat?

[wikita]

My personal opinion is that madVR price/performance is at about the same place it is for video games, maybe a little below, which now that I think about it is almost scary. :D
thanks a lot for your answer and especially this part. who knew video playback could be so performance heavy.

[feelingblue]

Just to clarify,

Blu-Ray is encoded and stored on the disc as Ycbcr 4:2:0, then madVR converts YCbCr to RGB and does all the processing and output in RGB, correct?
I have read on AVSForums that most TVs convert incoming RGB signal back to YCbCr for processing unless we choose a special option to tell the TV to skip the conversion and output pure RGB.
On a Panasonic this option called "1080 Pixel Direct".

An easy indicator would be if the Color/Saturation slider is still working if we feed RGB signal into the TV, then the TV converts incoming RGB to YCbCr for processing and back again to RGB for the panel.
So basically we get another conversion step which may (or may not) degrade the signal.


IMO the best method , if you have the correct pattern, is verify the Chroma Upsampling Error.

i prefer directly see the results of the chroma upsampling to evaluate the quality.

[leeperry]

Hmmm... They didn't have time to look at it *yet*? Or they generally don't have time to look at it?
Their answer was apparently just as vague as what I told you, they do know about it and they might look at it when they find the time. I guess they care a lot more about tiny optimizations for the latest videogames.

[Vyral]

Hi,
I want to change the refresh rate of my display when playing a video and restore the default settings (1080p60) when leaving fullscreen. I was using smooth motion until now but it is taking a lot of ressources that I want to use to add debanding.
My display refresh rate can be set between 50 and 75Hz. I've tried using the following settings in the display mode tab in madVR :
1080p60, 1080p59, 1080p50

However, the refresh rate always remains at 60Hz when playing 30, 24 or 23.9 fps videos. Is it normal ? How do madVR choose which display mode to use ?

Thanks for your help.

[YxP]

Check your display's manual. I have a feeling other refresh rates than 60hz are usable only with lower, non-native resolutions.

[leeperry]

I've tried using the following settings in the display mode tab in madVR :
1080p60, 1080p59, 1080p50

However, the refresh rate always remains at 60Hz when playing 30, 24 or 23.9 fps videos. Is it normal ?
mVR only asks Windows to roll refresh rates, do you have options for those rates in the Windows graphic settings? If not, you would need to enable them in your graphic drivers.

PS:
refresh rate can be set between 55 and 75Hz
See if 72/75Hz aren't internally reclocked to 60Hz then ;)

[Vyral]

Check your display's manual. I have a feeling other refresh rates than 60hz are usable only with lower, non-native resolutions.
After checking the display's manual, the refresh rate can be set between 55 and 75Hz, but there is nothing about resolutions and refresh rate.

mVR only asks Windows to roll refresh rates, do you have options for those rates in the Windows graphic settings? If not, you would need to enable them in your graphic drivers.
Windows and AMD CCC both allow me to set the refresh rate to 60, 59 and 50Hz.

EDIT : I've changed the settings with 1080p60 and 1080p59. It seems to work because the refresh rate is changed during playback but it's either 60Hz or 59.9Hz.
Well whatever, I'll stay with 60Hz and without smooth motion (I have 0 dropped/delayed frames since I turned it off).

Thanks for help ;)

[huhn]

as far as i know repeated or dropped frame forced by vsync are not shown in the OSD.

[Mark Regalo]

as far as i know repeated or dropped frame forced by vsync are not shown in the OSD.

How can we solve problems related to vsync dropped/repeated frames if it's not shown in the OSD? Thanks.

[huhn]

SM or match your frame rate. custom resolutions is a possibility too.

[Xaurus]

Hi Guys,

I've changed my HTPC from this:
Silverstone GD08B/Intel 2120T/Noctua NH-U9BSE2/Asus P8H67-M Pro/Corsair XMS 2x2GB/Samsung 830 256 GB/7x2TB HDD/Asus GTX 660/Seasonic X-400 to the setup currently in my signature.

So my question is, is there somewhere in this massive thread there is a good explanation of NNEDI and frame doubling and stuff like that?

With my previous setup I used Jinc 3 tap but now I am not sure what is optimal with the considerably more powerful GTX 770.

Thanks.

[Anime Viewer]

So my question is, is there somewhere in this massive thread there is a good explanation of NNEDI and frame doubling and stuff like that?

With my previous setup I used Jinc 3 tap but now I am not sure what is optimal with the considerably more powerful GTX 770.

Thanks.

Opinions are varied on the usefulness of NNEDI3 in its three enable-able areas as well as what settings to use.

I have NNEDI3 enabled for Luma image doubling, and have it set to 16 neurons since I can see a difference in anti-aliasing when I have it enabled compared to disabled, but I don't see a difference between 16 neurons and any of the higher settings with the content I watch. Some may recommend you use more neurons, but I say you decide that for yourself. Play a video, pause it, switch between the different settings (clicking apply after each) and see if you notice a change in picture quality for the better. If you do - use the new setting, but if not leave it at the lower setting and use those resources elsewhere.

madshi has said that he found during his testing that chroma doubling didn't have a significant effect, and was a huge hit on performance. As a result he doesn't recommend using it.

As far as chroma upscaling by NNEDI3 goes I don't notice any significant improvement using it over Jinc in the videos I watch, but again you can switch back and forth between the two while watching your videos and see if you see a difference. Another thing I noticed about NNEDI3 when used for chroma upscaling is that it can have a big hit to rendering speed even when it shouldn't be doing much (like if your playing a 1920x1080 video on a 1920x1080 screen. I posted the below on a different forum where I am attempting to help them determine presets for a codec pack that includes madVR using NNEDI3 options to be preset in their setup:


(1):
chroma upscaling -jinc 3 taps
luma double - always if upscaling is needed - 16 neurons
image upscaling - bilinear
downscaling - catmull-rom

(2):
chroma upscaling -jinc
luma double - always if upscaling is needed - 16 neurons
image upscaling - jinc
downscaling - catmull-rom

(3):
chroma upscaling -jinc
luma double - always if upscaling is needed - 32 neurons
image upscaling - bilinear
downscaling - catmull-rom

(4):
chroma upscaling -jinc
luma double - always if upscaling is needed - 32 neurons
image upscaling - jinc
downscaling - catmull-rom

(5):
chroma upscaling -NNEDI3 - 16 neurons
luma double - always if upscaling is needed - 16 neurons
image upscaling - bilinear
downscaling - catmull-rom

(6):
chroma upscaling -NNEDI3 - 16 neurons
luma double - always if upscaling is needed - 16 neurons
image upscaling - bilinear
downscaling - catmull-rom

(7):
chroma upscaling -NNEDI3 - 32 neurons
luma double - always if upscaling is needed - 16 neurons
image upscaling - bilinear
downscaling - catmull-rom

For people who mainly watch 480p videos the fastest order would probably be (fastest listed first, slowest last) option 1, 3, 5, 2, 7, 4, then 6.

480p video render speeds
option #1: 10ms
option #2: 20ms
option #3: 16ms
option #4: 23ms
option #5: 18ms
option #6: 25ms
option #7: 21ms

720p video render speeds
option #1: 22ms
option #2: 29ms
option #3: 27ms
option #4: 31ms
option #5: 31ms
option #6: 35ms
option #7: 33ms

1080p video render speeds
option #1: 7.5ms
option #2: 7.5ms
option #3: 9ms
option #4: 8.6ms
option #5: 24ms
option #6: 24ms
option #7: 34ms


As you can see with the 1080p video tests options 5,6,& 7 which use NNEDI3 for chroma upscaling take four times longer to render then Jinc 3 tap (options 1,2,3, and 4).

[Asmodian]

Another thing I noticed about NNEDI3 when used for chroma upscaling is that it can have a big hit to rendering speed even when it shouldn't be doing much (like if your playing a 1920x1080 video on a 1920x1080 screen.

Actually chroma upscaling should be doing exactly the same work when playing a 1920x1080 video on a 1920x1080 screen as it would with any other resolution screen.

The chroma is 1/2 the resolution of luma in both directions (4:2:0). You need to resize it to match the luma before converting to RGB. This means that chroma scaling is always used and is independent of the output resolution.

This idea seems to be hard for some:
There are three image planes for a color image. On a bluray the black and white information (luma, Y) is stored at 1920x1080. Color information is stored as two 960x540 images (chroma, U & V or Cb & Cr). One needs to resize the two 960x540 images to match the 1920x1080 luma before converting to RGB.

This resize happens before anything else madVR does and it almost always needs to be done (it is only not needed when watching a 4:4:4 or RGB video).

[tjcinnamon]

Are there particular settings I need to set to get 4:4:4 RGB. My videos are always at 4:2:0.

Is that due to panel constraints?

[Asmodian]

Are there particular settings I need to set to get 4:4:4 RGB. My videos are always at 4:2:0.

Is that due to panel constraints?

madVR always outputs 8-bit RGB, no setting needed. RGB cannot have subsampled color (Red, Green, Blue) so 4:4:4 or 4:2:0 do not apply.

Your display might do anything to the RGB or your GPU might convert to YCbCr if set to.

[tjcinnamon]

madVR always outputs 8-bit RGB, no setting needed. RGB cannot have subsampled color (Red, Green, Blue) so 4:4:4 or 4:2:0 do not apply.

Your display might do anything to the RGB or your GPU might convert to YCbCr if set to.

Doesn't MadVR show the output of the video in the statistics and not the displays output?

Meaning that if it says 4:2:0 -> 4:2:0 that is what my receiver is getting and if I changed a setting to 4:2:0 to 4:4:4 or RGB then even if my display downconverted it wouldn't matter due to MadVR only record what's it output is?

[detmek]

MadVR always outputs RGB. 4:2:0 -> 4:2:0 is decoder output.

[johnniedoo]

Opinions are varied on the usefulness of NNEDI3 in its three enable-able areas as well as what settings to use.

I have NNEDI3 enabled for Luma image doubling, and have it set to 16 neurons since I can see a difference in anti-aliasing when I have it enabled compared to disabled, but I don't see a difference between 16 neurons and any of the higher settings with the content I watch. Some may recommend you use more neurons, but I say you decide that for yourself. Play a video, pause it, switch between the different settings (clicking apply after each) and see if you notice a change in picture quality for the better. If you do - use the new setting, but if not leave it at the lower setting and use those resources elsewhere.

madshi has said that he found during his testing that chroma doubling didn't have a significant effect, and was a huge hit on performance. As a result he doesn't recommend using it.

As far as chroma upscaling by NNEDI3 goes I don't notice any significant improvement using it over Jinc in the videos I watch, but again you can switch back and forth between the two while watching your videos and see if you see a difference. Another thing I noticed about NNEDI3 when used for chroma upscaling is that it can have a big hit to rendering speed even when it shouldn't be doing much (like if your playing a 1920x1080 video on a 1920x1080 screen. I posted the below on a different forum where I am attempting to help them determine presets for a codec pack that includes madVR using NNEDI3 options to be preset in their setup:


(1):
chroma upscaling -jinc 3 taps
luma double - always if upscaling is needed - 16 neurons
image upscaling - bilinear
downscaling - catmull-rom

(2):
chroma upscaling -jinc
luma double - always if upscaling is needed - 16 neurons
image upscaling - jinc
downscaling - catmull-rom

(3):
chroma upscaling -jinc
luma double - always if upscaling is needed - 32 neurons
image upscaling - bilinear
downscaling - catmull-rom

(4):
chroma upscaling -jinc
luma double - always if upscaling is needed - 32 neurons
image upscaling - jinc
downscaling - catmull-rom

(5):
chroma upscaling -NNEDI3 - 16 neurons
luma double - always if upscaling is needed - 16 neurons
image upscaling - bilinear
downscaling - catmull-rom

(6):
chroma upscaling -NNEDI3 - 16 neurons
luma double - always if upscaling is needed - 16 neurons
image upscaling - bilinear
downscaling - catmull-rom

(7):
chroma upscaling -NNEDI3 - 32 neurons
luma double - always if upscaling is needed - 16 neurons
image upscaling - bilinear
downscaling - catmull-rom

For people who mainly watch 480p videos the fastest order would probably be (fastest listed first, slowest last) option 1, 3, 5, 2, 7, 4, then 6.

480p video render speeds
option #1: 10ms
option #2: 20ms
option #3: 16ms
option #4: 23ms
option #5: 18ms
option #6: 25ms
option #7: 21ms

720p video render speeds
option #1: 22ms
option #2: 29ms
option #3: 27ms
option #4: 31ms
option #5: 31ms
option #6: 35ms
option #7: 33ms

1080p video render speeds
option #1: 7.5ms
option #2: 7.5ms
option #3: 9ms
option #4: 8.6ms
option #5: 24ms
option #6: 24ms
option #7: 34ms


As you can see with the 1080p video tests options 5,6,& 7 which use NNEDI3 for chroma upscaling take four times longer to render then Jinc 3 tap (options 1,2,3, and 4).

I appreciate the details -particularly rendering times viz a viz each config.
Very helpful despite different set ups we have. It is good to see what others may experience with their trial and error techniques.
I do precisely the same thing with my videos though any 1920x1080 movies I watch I sometimes just use x64 MPC-BE svn and custom renderer. I find that MadVr offers fantastic PQ enhancement with my favorite types of old b&w videos, color,too, though I watch them with far less frequency just because there were fewer made. I am new to using MadVr and MPC-BE together so still limited in my scope. Never used this combo on any BD disc or iso, not even the mkv versions i make. not yet.
Thanks again for the information
John

[tjcinnamon]

MadVR always outputs RGB. 4:2:0 -> 4:2:0 is decoder output.

Ahhhhh... So is there a way to increase the decoder output? I checked LAV and I have everything set.

So madvr outputs RGB and LAV is down converting it (for some reason)

[huhn]

no BD/DVD is RGB and Lavfilter doesn't down convert with a normal source.

[jmonier]

Ahhhhh... So is there a way to increase the decoder output? I checked LAV and I have everything set.

So madvr outputs RGB and LAV is down converting it (for some reason)

The decoder (LAV) ALWAYS comes before the video renderer (madVR). That's basic to understanding how things work.

[tjcinnamon]

The decoder (LAV) ALWAYS comes before the video renderer (madVR). That's basic to understanding how things work.

How can I make these stats: http://i.imgur.com/bdjT3.jpg

look like these stats: http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s297/mikeyurkus/FuturamaScreenCut2.png

Or is that not possible?

[huhn]

this stats says that the source is 8 bit 4:2:0 is send as NV12

the screen from the 2nd screen is a wrong setup and not worth achieving.

[Asmodian]

Right, the second screen is doing a lower quality conversion to RGB in LAV instead of letting madVR do it.

[DarkSpace]

Right, the second screen is doing a lower quality conversion to RGB in LAV instead of letting madVR do it.
Not even in LAV, but in ffdshow... and I find it interesting that madVR specifies that the fullrange information comes not from upstream, but specifically from ffdshow, too.

[detmek]

Ahhhhh... So is there a way to increase the decoder output? I checked LAV and I have everything set.

So madvr outputs RGB and LAV is down converting it (for some reason)

Yes, but don't do that. madVR does better job converting YV12 or other formats to RGB.

As already explaind, playback chain goes: splitter > decoder > render.

So, let the LAV Splitter and LAV Decoder decode your file without any conversion (YV12 to NV12 is not conversion, those are same format, different order) and madVR do any scaling and colorspace conversion.

Don't try to overcomplicate things. Just because something looks messy and complicated (most online tutorials) does not make it better.

[Anime Viewer]

Yes, but don't do that. madVR does better job converting YV12 or other formats to RGB.

As already explaind, playback chain goes: splitter > decoder > render.

So, let the LAV Splitter and LAV Decoder decode your file without any conversion (YV12 to NV12 is not conversion, those are same format, different order) and madVR do any scaling and colorspace conversion.

So, what are you advocating? That he/she go into LAV video decoder and uncheck all the RGB options, so that LAV doesn't convert anything to RGB?

How can I make these stats: http://i.imgur.com/bdjT3.jpg

look like these stats: http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s297/mikeyurkus/FuturamaScreenCut2.png

Or is that not possible?
I didn't view your second file, but theoretically if you want your 4:2:0 videos to be converted to 4:4:4 videos you could go into LAV video decoder, and uncheck all the output formats except for the 4:4:4 ones. It will not necessary lead to a better picture (it might under some circumstances), and it will use LAV to do conversion (which some people here don't like). Regardless you could test with it, and see if you notice any change in quality (good or bad). While you're in LAV video decoder proprieties you could also change RGB output levels to Untouched which would eliminate LAV as a conversion factor for that if nothing else.

If you're concerned that your colors look washed out in your videos you can experiment with adding the 16-235 to 0-255 [SD][HD] to active shaders in MPC under options -> Playback -> Shaders. Some people don't like it feeling that they loose some of their descreet greys while others feel it adds vibrancy.

[Luca T]

I'm sorry if the question can be stupid but:

If MadVR is only in 32bit version should I use the 32bit version of MPC-HC?

[Anime Viewer]

I'm sorry if the question can be stupid but:

If MadVR is only in 32bit version should I use the 32bit version of MPC-HC?

The answer to that question is yes: you should use 32-bit mpc-hc. MadVR 32-bit does not work with MPC-HC 64-bit.

[huhn]

I didn't view your second file, but theoretically if you want your 4:2:0 videos to be converted to 4:4:4 videos you could go into LAV video decoder, and uncheck all the output formats except for the 4:4:4 ones. It will not necessary lead to a better picture (it might under some circumstances), and it will use LAV to do conversion (which some people here don't like). Regardless you could test with it, and see if you notice any change in quality (good or bad). While you're in LAV video decoder proprieties you could also change RGB output levels to Untouched which would eliminate LAV as a conversion factor for that if nothing else.
chroma upscaling from Lav filter or chroma upsacling from madVR with a free choice for the scaler not that hard of a question.
there is simply no benefited from sending a YCbCr 4:2:0 source as RGB from Lavfilter.

of couse you can try things like this but in general it shouldn't be used the default setting from Lavfilter are choice like this for a good reason. the normal user should never change them if they don't know what they exactly do.

[detmek]

So, what are you advocating? That he/she go into LAV video decoder and uncheck all the RGB options, so that LAV doesn't convert anything to RGB?

No. LAV will always try to avoid any conversion. It will do conversion if render requires that. madVR does not require that conversion for most formats. So, he does not have to change anything, just leave the default settings.

BTW, I advocate that people should not complicate things because making something complicated most of the time does not lead to better quality. And a lot of online tutorials are too much complicated without any solid reason.

When it comes to madVR+LAV Filters combo, rule is that default settings are very good. If you want better, just use better scaling algorithm in madVR (requires high end graphic card). Also test if you can actually see improvement over default settings.

I didn't view your second file, but theoretically if you want your 4:2:0 videos to be converted to 4:4:4 videos you could go into LAV video decoder, and uncheck all the output formats except for the 4:4:4 ones. It will not necessary lead to a better picture (it might under some circumstances), and it will use LAV to do conversion (which some people here don't like). Regardless you could test with it, and see if you notice any change in quality (good or bad). While you're in LAV video decoder proprieties you could also change RGB output levels to Untouched which would eliminate LAV as a conversion factor for that if nothing else.

If you're concerned that your colors look washed out in your videos you can experiment with adding the 16-235 to 0-255 [SD][HD] to active shaders in MPC under options -> Playback -> Shaders. Some people don't like it feeling that they loose some of their descreet greys while others feel it adds vibrancy.

Almost all aplicatons assume that RGB is full range, 0-255, so if he uses LAV for colorspace conversion output should be set to PC levels (0-255) and video will not look "washed".

While in LAV properties dialog he must uncheck all other output formats and leave RGB checked if he want LAV decoder to do conversion. Else, LAV will pass unchaged stream, as I already mentioned.

Almost everyone here loves LAV Filters but almost everyone recommends madVR for chroma (and luma) up/downscaling because it has better choice of scaling algorithms and better dithering.

[NicolasRobidoux]

Mathias: Sigmoidization was definitely pointing you in the wrong direction. It's dead. (Apologies.)
On the other hand, I'm pretty excited about this: http://www.imagemagick.org/discourse-server/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=25935&p=113483#p113483

[nekromantik]

Hi
Not been on here a while and updated MadVR and noticed a lot of new options! ha
Whats the recommended settings for balance of watching SD and 720p content on a 1080 TV?
Thanks

[huhn]

Mathias: Sigmoidization was definitely pointing you in the wrong direction. It's dead. (Apologies.)
On the other hand, I'm pretty excited about this: http://www.imagemagick.org/discourse-server/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=25935&p=113483#p113483
just WOW

[fairchild]

Hi
Not been on here a while and updated MadVR and noticed a lot of new options! ha
Whats the recommended settings for balance of watching SD and 720p content on a 1080 TV?
Thanks

The defaults work quite well. I tweaked mine as such and am currently using the following. (anything I didn't mention is at defaults) This setup is for as little modification to the image as possible through extra post processing:


MadVR settings

important shortcuts: CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+I (video ranges toggle)
CTRL+ALT+SHIFT+T (deinterlacing toggle)
CTRL+ALT+D (dithering toggle)
SHIFT+D (debanding toggle) (custom settings low/medium for str/fade str)

calibration: this display is already calibrated (BT.709 + pure power curve 2.20)

disable desktop composition
enable delay playback start until render queue is full
enable delay playback start after seeking, too

disable ALL trade quality for performance options
using ordered dithering, disable 2 options (colored and dynamic)
**disable dithering (only when checking/calibrating brightness setting)**

display modes: 1080p60,1080p50,1080p24,1080p23

chroma upscaling: Bicubic75
image doubling: double NNEDI3 - 16 neurons (2x) ~~doubling active on 960x540 or less~~
quadruple NNEDI3 - 16 neurons (3x) ~~quadrupling active on 640x360 or less~~
image upscaling: Bicubic75
image downscaling: Catmull-Rom (LL)

[michkrol]

Hi
Not been on here a while and updated MadVR and noticed a lot of new options! ha
Whats the recommended settings for balance of watching SD and 720p content on a 1080 TV?
Thanks

Everyone will give you a slightly different recommendation, but here goes mine - create 2 profiles:
SD (srcHeight<=576) - luma image doubling with as many neurons as possible, Jinc3 for image upscaling
HD (eveyrhing else/default profile) - Jinc3 for image upscaling, image doubling off
You could probably just set image doubling to "if scaling factor 2.0x or higher", but I myself have some 576p videos I want doubled with NNEDI and downscaled to 1080p, hence I use profiles.

Some folks here (say that they) can see a difference between using image doubling and simple Jinc3 scaling when going 720p -> 1080p, so you need to check it yourself ;)

It's also kind of hard to recommend anything without knowing what your GPU can handle, but you can't go wrong with Jinc3 for HD and image doubling for SD (if your GPU can handle it).

Contrary to fairchild's recommendation I would leave "trade quality for performance options" at defaults or perhaps go there after configuring other settings.

[nekromantik]

Thanks
I lost defaults so will have to reset.