Video renderers. What's difference?
Video renderer(VR, for short) — is a kind of software which renders the content on an output device (rendering video content on your monitor, in other words).
These video renderers are recommended for Windows XP and lower:
- VMR7 Windowless (VMR7 WL) - default Windows XP VR. Very fast and lite.
Pros:
- lite (uses overlay) - recommended for low-end computers;
- fast - recommended for video with fps more than 50;
- support DXVA only if no subtitles present in a video (but you can easily disable them in preferences).
Cons:
- overlay can be used only for single video; so it needs to be shared with other media players;
- when pressing PrintScreen saved picture will contain only color-stub.
- VMR7 Renderless (VMR7 RL) - like previous one, but don't use overlay.
Pros compared to VMR7 WL:
- PrintScreen works as intended;
- allows position subtitles on black bars.
Cons compared to VMR7 WL:
- just a little heavier;
- do not support DXVA;
- VMR9 Windowless - just like VMR7 Windowless, but uses DirectX 9 for rendering the content.
Pros compared to VMR7 RL:
- a little better do image scaling;
- PrintScreen works as intended.
Cons compared to VMR7 RL:
- just a little heavier;
- do not support DXVA.
- VMR9 Renderless - just like VMR9 WL, but a little more complicated.
Pros compared to VMR9 WL:
- support DXVA even with subtitles;
- allows position subtitles on black bars;
- a little better do image scaling;
- PrintScreen works as intended.
Cons compared to VMR9 RL:
- not suitable for high frame rate (> 30fps) video.
These video renderers are recommended to be used with Windows Vista and higher:
- EVR - default VR for Windows Vista and up. Most fast and lite (but not for Windows XP!).
Pros:
- lite, fast, native;
- in Windows XP better scale red pictures on Radeon video cards.
Cons:
- do not support DXVA with subtitles;
- in Windows XP requires .NET Framework 3.5.
- EVR CA - optimized to be used with subtitles.
Pros compared to EVR:
- support DXVA with subtitles;
- allows position subtitles on black bars.
Cons:
- required a bit more computing resources.
- EVR Sync - designed to keep video and monitor (or TV) fps in sync.
Pros compared to EVR:
- solution to the videoframes gap.
- support DXVA with subtitles;
- allows position subtitles on black bars.
Cons:
- most heavier EVR-renderer;
- requires delicate tuning for specified monitor / tv;
- sometimes unstable.
MadVR is a special case.
- MadVR - its a 3rd party VR. Main purpose of this VR is produce maximum picture quality of a video. MadVR should be installed manully.
Pros:
- high quality image scaling;
- gamut & gamma correction for display calibration;
- full 16bit processing queue;
- all work is done via GPU shaders
- in active development.
Cons:
- high graphics card requirements;
- sometimes unstable;
- a few nuances which you take in account when using this VR.
Detailed installation process, settings and nuances about madVR you can read in this section.