Summary
- Nvidia's latest Game Ready Driver introduces a hidden profile with the upcoming "TrueHDR" tool, which uses AI to convert SDR games to HDR in real time.
- The driver update also includes Nvidia RTX Video HDR, which uses AI to convert SDR videos to HDR in real time.
- While the TrueHDR feature is not officially released, a modder has created a tool to test it out.
Nvidia's latest Game Ready Driver, version 551.23, has more to it than was first evident. As discovered by a modder who goes by emoose at NexusMods, a hidden profile within the driver shows that Nvidia is working on a "TrueHDR" tool that allows for real-time conversion of SDR games to HDR. This tool, like many of Nvidia's latest creations, leverages AI to function.
Driver version 551.23 already brought us Nvidia RTX Video HDR, which employs AI to automatically convert online videos from SDR to HDR. In our testing, this tool greatly ameliorated dark SDR scenes shown on an HDR screen. It works in tandem with RTX Super Resolution, another AI-powered tool released early 2023.
But it's now clear that Nvidia isn't stopping there. The TrueHDR settings, hidden as they are, aren't ready for an official release, but that hasn't stopped the modder emoose from creating a tool that allows you to test out the feature today. As long as you have an RTX GPU with Tensor cores — specifically designed for AI tasks — and Windows 11, you should be able to give it a shot. The mod page has more information on how to use the mod to unlock RTX TrueHDR, requiring not much more than to disable Windows AutoHDR and run the mod's executable.
It looks like most people jumping on the mod have had success with games running on DirectX 9 through DirectX 12 APIs, as well as some limited success with games built on OpenGL and Vulkan (albeit with a few extra steps sometimes required). This is a huge boost for anyone who's been dealing with the limitations of Windows AutoHDR and its ability to function with a select list of pre-profiled games. Some Reddit users have chimed in after testing it out, claiming that it already works better than AutoHDR.
With so many great HDR monitors expected to launch this year, this tool could prove to be massively popular in the gaming community. We, of course, haven't actually seen the finished product, but if it's anything like Nvidia's other AI-based tools, it will be a huge boon for PC gamers subscribing to Team Green.
