Microsoft Edge Has More Efficient Video Playback, Microsoft Says

Microsoft Edge, the web browser successor to Microsoft Explorer, has already proven to be more energy-efficient than its competitors. Now, say Jerry Smith, Jatinder Mann and John Simmons, the browser can also boast of more efficient video playback.

The Microsoft Edge team explains how the browser can maximize performance:

It does this by offloading CPU intensive video processing operations to power efficient peripheral hardware found in modern PCs and mobile devices. This starts with the use of Microsoft DirectX video acceleration (DXVA) to offload decoding of compressed video.  For rendering, Microsoft Edge also works with Multiplane overlay display hardware and sophisticated graphics and UI compositing features to offload video rendering operations. This significantly reduces memory bandwidth required for video processing and compositing at the display.

In other words, by sending different processes outside the browser to parts of the operating system already in use, Edge can can stay faster and use fewer resources.