Thank you for your interest in Silvas Digital’s XDF display fidelity extension technology!

The XDF (Extended Display Fidelity) technology is a software technology that allows computers with today’s standard 24-bit graphics hardware to effectively display up to 30-bit color–bringing the color fidelity of high-end graphics workstations and digital theaters to the common PC.

Silvas Digital’s core XDF technology is a software implementation of temporal dithering. Temporal dithering is a technique that synthesizes otherwise unattainable color shades by rapidly alternating between the two nearest, available shades. Silvas Digital has determined that their temporal dithering can successfully extend 24-bit color to 27-bit color on computer displays with lower refresh rates, such as LCD displays, and can extend up to 30-bit color on displays with higher refresh rates. Conventional (spatial) dithering, traditionally known to introduce undesirable speckles into images, was also added to the XDF system, as Silvas Digital found that, when used in 24-bit color, it could extend to 30-bit color in any refresh rate, with no perceivable image speckling.

Project Background

As a recent college graduate who decided rather late that he wanted to attempt self-employment, Silvas Digital’s Ron Silvas needed a profitable project, and it seemed he had found at least a shot: He stumbled upon a way, through software, to get computers with 24-bit graphics hardware to display more colors than those in their native palettes. The plan was to develop a Software Development Kit (SDK) around this technology which would encapsulate-away the implementation details, integrate nicely with the Windows Platform SDK, and be flexible and robust enough to serve a professional software developer's needs. Sale option #1 was to license the SDK to a single company, for them to exclusively use and debut as their own. Should an exclusive sale not work out, option #2 was to immediately advertise, demo, and begin licensing the SDK, non-exclusively. Things work out funny sometimes, though.

As the project was nearing completion, a way was found to both improve and simplify the fidelity extension, and the simplification was such that it became more worthwhile for other developers to implement the technology on their own, instead of purchasing it. The project sat, mothballed for a few months, until Silvas eventually decided to clean-up the demo, write and release some documentation, and begin offering the demo for “donations of any amount”. Silvas hopes there are a few others on the planet interested in this stuff. ;)

Okay . . . Actually he hopes there are a few others with PayPal, Visa, or MasterCard accounts, in a countries not under U.S. economic embargo . . . interested in this stuff.

Technology Demo

The XDF demo was created by Silvas Digital to demonstrate their XDF technology. The demo allows users to experience and evaluate both the XDF technology and the difference between 24-bit and 30-bit color–all on their own machines. In addition to providing built-in sample images, the demo also allows users to open their own 48-bit TIFF images for use in evaluation.

As was mentioned, Silvas Digital is making the XDF demo available for donations* of any amount**. The demo’s User’s Manual (RTF: 33 KB) can be freely downloaded for both further informational purposes and to assist in determining whether the XDF demo donation-purchase is right for you†. A screenshot of the demo is available by clicking on the XDF demo icon, to the right of the previous paragraph. To make a donation and purchase a copy of the demo, please click on the “Donate” button, appearing below.

(And to those of you are “on the fence”, so to say, or you otherwise think that you would like to check out the demo but are worried that your donation might be too small, I would just like to say: AARRGGHHH-HA-HA-HA-HA–Your donation would not be too small**.)

Donations can be made with PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express. Though PayPal will be processing the transaction, a PayPal account is NOT needed to make a donation–Those wishing to make a donation without using a PayPal account should, after clicking the “Donate” button to the left, follow the “If you do not currently have a PayPal account” payment sequence. Also, though it will appear as an option, a shipping address must be entered to assist in export control.††

Upon successfully receiving a donation, Silvas Digital will send an e-mail to the address associated with the payment transaction. The e-mail will contain instructions on how to download the XDF demo (a 2.5-MB Windows executable file). This e-mail will ordinarily be sent within 24 hours of a donation. If an e-mail has not been received within 48 hours, please contact Silvas Digital to alert them to the situation.

Further Information

More detailed information about the XDF project and related technology can be found in the XDF Project Summary and Findings Report (PDF: 165 KB), while the XDF Project & Technology FAQ attempts to clear up some related questions, criticisms, and misconceptions.

Silvas Digital thanks you again for your interest in their XDF display fidelity extension technology.

* For legal purposes, this “donation” is simply a software purchase in which the buyer is setting the price. Sales tax will be collected from California residents.

** Okay, actually, the payment processing service I use, PayPal, is going to take, like, $0.30 + a percentage of any payment I accept so I’m going to have to decline donation payments that don’t actually lead to positive net donations. I guess I also better reserve the right to refuse to do business with anyone for any reason.

† Due to the nature of this software sale, I will most likely NOT be offering “returns” or refunds for any reason, so PLEASE, for your benefit, download and read the User’s Manual (RTF: 33 KB) and make sure the product license, features, system requirements, and warnings are all acceptable to you before making any donation-purchase.

†† The shipping address must match the billing address or the address confirmed with PayPal–This will allow PayPal to verify the address and declare it “confirmed” to us, so we can in turn make sure we’re not unlawfully doing business with and exporting to a country or person under applicable U.S. embargo (e.g., Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Syria).