NVIDIA Introducing a New Anti-Aliasing Algorithm with Kepler?

[btarunr]

Reliable sources indicate that NVIDIA could introduce a new anti-aliasing (AA) algorithm with its Kepler family of GPUs. There are already plenty of AA algorithms which have been introduced with recent generations of GPUs, including FXAA, which have enabled higher levels of image quality, while not being as taxing as MSAA. This leaves only one area in which a new AA algorithm can take shape: to raise the image quality bar higher, while lowering performance penalty.

In a screenshot, probably sourced from NVIDIA's GeForce Kepler press-deck, this new algorithm is compared to 8x MSAA, in which it appears to give superior image quality. We know that 8x MSAA can be taxing, the kind of image quality we're seeing with this mysterious AA algo 'looks' taxing with available technology, unless of course, NVIDIA developed a silver-bullet in its new algorithm, which provides stunning image quality while not being too taxing on the GPU's resources.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[bear jesus]

Why does the x8 side look so bad?

It looks more like AA off or X2 to me as it is just covered in jagged lines, is it a really big screen or projector and x8AA does not really do anything much once the screen gets that big?


It would be nice to see another new AA that may look better yet not eat up as much power as current ones.

 

[m1dg3t]

Nvidia should just release Kepler already!

 

[phanbuey]

Why does the x8 side look so bad?

It looks more like AA off or X2 to me as it is just covered in jagged lines, is it a really big screen or projector and x8AA does not really do anything much once the screen gets that big?


It would be nice to see another new AA that may look better yet not eat up as much power as current ones.

They zoomed it in with a microscope lol.

 

[NHKS]

So could this be something more advanced than FXAA, by 'more' advanced I mean lower load on GPU with same quality?
if so, then nvidia did not reveal it at GDC'12 with the Samaritan demo that used FXAA

 

[Isenstaedt]

Yet another AA technique...

 

[btarunr]

Could be a heavily optimized temporal AA algo. It's difficult to get it right, but NV more than has the resources to do it.

So could this be something more advanced than FXAA, by 'more' advanced I mean lower load on GPU with same quality?

Of course it's something newer than FXAA, which supposedly gives a better qualityerformance ratio.

 

[Bjorn_Of_Iceland]

So what will they call it? NVAA? hehe

 

[Sasqui]

So could this be something more advanced than FXAA, by 'more' advanced I mean lower load on GPU with same quality?
if so, then nvidia did not reveal it at GDC'12 with the Samaritan demo that used FXAA

That's impressive.

 

[NHKS]

Of course it's something newer than FXAA, which supposedly gives a better qualityerformance ratio.

I guess it is still not ready. If it was ready to implement then nvidia should have shown it at GDC'12, along with Kepler...

 

[btarunr]

I guess it is still not ready. If it was ready to implement then nvidia should have shown it at GDC'12, along with Kepler...

The picture in the news post is from a public presentation, if you look closely.

And NVIDIA's event was on the sidelines of GDC'12, not exactly on the GDC'12 floor, and not every GDC attendee could be there.

 

[InnocentCriminal]

One of the reasons that kept me from using nVIDIA cards was their poor performance in AA but in the last few years they've really started to dramatically improve AA over ATi AMD. I can't live without AA turned on. Very interested in how this comes out in games I play.

 

[NHKS]

The picture in the news post is from a public presentation, if you look closely.

And NVIDIA's event was on the sidelines of GDC'12, not exactly on the GDC'12 floor, and not every GDC attendee could be there.

hmm.. u have a point

so as u said earlier, either it could be an optimised 'temporal AA' (or)

be some kind of 'spin-off' from nvidia's recent research @ SRAA (Subpixel Reconstruction Antialiasing) ? i say spin off because the first letter in the right half of image in the post(with blurred out xx ??AA) does not seem to begin with 'S'.. rather 'M' to me

SRAA was in 2011.. so it could also mean FXAA is a spin off from SRAA research..

 

[Prima.Vera]

The second image looks a little blurred, very little, if you look closely, so it must be something like MLAA from AMD. Hopefully they will implement this as shader base so it would be use with any game out there.

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

One of the reasons that kept me from using nVIDIA cards was their poor performance in AA but in the last few years they've really started to dramatically improve AA over ATi AMD. I can't live without AA turned on. Very interested in how this comes out in games I play.

Really? Do you have some kind of source for this? I admit to not "knowing the benches" as well as many here off the top of my head but I have always had the impression that NV generally has had better-implemented AA (better performing and more types/options). It certainly does in BF3 I can tell you that. Just swapped two 6850s for this 480 which is technically 2-5% slower but now can run all Ultra except shadows and 4x MSAA without a hiccup whereas before High + 2x.

Granted I also have a half gig more vram and the game is using most of it (average 1400MB). That was the biggest deciding factor in "upgrading" right now and it has turned out to be definitely a great move.

 

[Rahmat Sofyan]

Sukcaa, nvaa, bsaa, fuaa...

 

[badtaylorx]

Mxaa

 

[douglatins]

Looks amazing

 

[yogurt_21]

have your pick
gets rid of some jaggies while making the image a little blurry
or
gets rid of most jaggies while making the image way blurry

 

[Dent1]

It certainly does in BF3 I can tell you that. Just swapped two 6850s for this 480 which is technically 2-5% slower but now can run all Ultra except .

Only 2-5% slower? It's closer to 10-20% slower

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/302?vs=309

What is even more shocking is that 1x480 seems to consume more power than 2x6850s..how is that possible?? lol

 

[yogurt_21]

What is even more shocking is that 1x480 seems to consume more power than 2x6850s..how is that possible?? lol

in Fermi, all shocking power consumption stats are made possible

 

[newtekie1]

I'm just waiting for the people to say that it is unfair for this to only work on nVidia cards, nvidia should allow it to work on AMD cards too...

have your pick
gets rid of some jaggies while making the image a little blurry
or
gets rid of most jaggies while making the image way blurry

Making the image blurred is pretty much the definition of AA. It takes the pixels along lines and makes them a blend of the colors on each side of the line. This is blurring.

 

[Covert_Death]

have your pick
gets rid of some jaggies while making the image a little blurry
or
gets rid of most jaggies while making the image way blurry

lines in the real world are not crisp, especially shadows.... the edges of shadows in the real world are VERY blurry... i think it looks very realistic

 

[Covert_Death]

how about we get FXAA to become a standard first before releasing another AA technique...

 

[alienstorexxx]

how about we get FXAA to become a standard first before releasing another AA technique...

maybe it's just a rebrand.