• Software
  • Ditherig is open source on GitHub

Hi all,

The program to control Intel Graphics Dithering on Windows, called ditherig (note the mis-spelling) is now open source on GitHub under an MIT License.

The source code is available here: https://github.com/skawamoto0/ditherig. I want to thank the author for releasing the source code.

I came across the source code by finding this GitHub issue on Iris software, where the author points to that repo. Please take note the ditherig author on that issue mentions that another tool, igfxtweak, is no longer updated.

I'd be interested in doing two things to ditherig, now that source is available:
1) Making it run on a modern Linux distro like Ubuntu. The current source (although haven't look too closely) seems to depend on some Win32 APIs -- so cannot just compile it.
2) Last time I checked, ditherig only worked on a laptop screen, and not any external monitors plugged in. Not sure if anyone has seen it different.

Anyone wishing to share wisdom on either of those, I would appreciate it!

    ryans 1) Making it run on a modern Linux distro like Ubuntu. The current source (although haven't look too closely) seems to depend on some Win32 APIs -- so cannot just compile it.

    I haven't looked at this code personally, but from what I understand it's just writing to some PCI configuration registers, so assuming the Linux driver doesn't do anything else different that would "cause eyestrain" with the displayed image, it's a trivial port.

    • diop replied to this.

      Are there any instructions anywhere on how to install the files for people who are not necessarily that tech savvy?

      Readme file appears to be all Japanese. If anyone here knows how to install this or already has, I would really appreciate to hear where the files go.

      Thanks

      The app itself is in English. Just put the folder that you unzip in any location you want, and run the .exe.

      It will also put an icon in the systray.

        Ditherig does work on external monitors. But because of the way external monitors work, you don't see any difference.

        Sunspark Thanks. I'm sure it's pretty obvious but I can't seem to find the .exe so I must be doing something wrong.

        I went to the Github page and clicked "download zip". Extracted it, but there is no exe in the any of the folders.

        • JTL replied to this.

          JTL I was able to find the applications file on his website.

          So for anyone looking who doesn't know anything about Github like me, just follow the link on the page to his website.

          JTL I haven't looked at this code personally, but from what I understand it's just writing to some PCI configuration registers, so assuming the Linux driver doesn't do anything else different that would "cause eyestrain" with the displayed image, it's a trivial port.

          Are the configuration registers of Nvidia/AMD documented anywhere? If so in theory an all-in-one dithering app could be created. I would imagine gfx devs have access to this information.

            diop

            Short answer no,

            Long answer, people discover these, but they are unreliable and quickly stop working following updates. In my limited experience of a GTX660 and an RTX570 there are colour settings which have zero dithering.

            diop Are the configuration registers of Nvidia/AMD documented anywhere? If so in theory an all-in-one dithering app could be created. I would imagine gfx devs have access to this information.

            Pretty sure Intel has public docs.

            AMD might, but I suspect it's very hardware specific.

            NVIDIA: LOLNO (last time I checked anyway)

            3 years later

            Has anyone noticed a big difference in strain (in getting worse) in using versions later that 1.7, 1.9?

            • JTL replied to this.

              Alyosha2001 Has anyone noticed a big difference in strain (in getting worse) in using versions later that 1.7, 1.9?

              Unfortunately the open source code release doesn't appear to cover releases that old.

              What hardware configuration, OS, etc?

                JTL I have 2 configs: the one I use with no strain (or the least possible) is on HP Zbook G3, using Intel HD Graphics 530, with driver 20.19.15.4444 from 22-Apr-2016 (any newer drives strain), on Windows 8.1.

                The other one is on HP Zbook G6 with Intel UDH Graphics 630 with the oldest driver I could find on HP's site, 25.20.100.6617 from 8-March-2019, on Windows LTSC 2019 build 17763.4252. This build has the strain lesser than the original win 10 PRO that it came with, maybe on par with Atlas OS and TinyOS, but still strong. The symptoms are dizzyness, tiredness, tired eyes and inability to read on paper soon after the use; in my case it did not lead to dried eyes even after a day of use, which is just the opposite of what most bad screens produce.

                On the fist laptop I use ditherig 1.7 and on the second one 1.9. The only issue of the first one is that it reactivates dithering whenever the screen turns off (but not after sleep or shutdown).The later one is the oldest that works on that laptop and it is somewhat unstable; if I try newer version, the strain increases (mostly the ability to read on screen).

                • JTL replied to this.

                  Alyosha2001 You notice difference with just the internal screen or external display output as well?

                  If the latter. I think attempting to replicate my lossless capture setup (while not cheap) might lead to some relatively quick answers. If it just makes a difference with the internal display, that's a harder problem.

                  Unfortunately I don't think ditherig affects HDMI output. The Zbook G3 uses igpu for output, and on my U2715h 8 bit monitor I see no difference. The G6 uses the dgpu for output (Quadro RTX 3000), so, as far as I know, only the internal screens are affected.

                  L Edit: Come to think of it, on the G3 if I use newer drivers or win10/11 strain appears, so could you tell me more about your lossless capture setup?

                  • JTL replied to this.

                    Alyosha2001 L Edit: Come to think of it, on the G3 if I use newer drivers or win10/11 strain appears, so could you tell me more about your lossless capture setup?

                    Information is somewhat outdated (i.e there's more tests than just frame comparison in place) but I wrote about the core concept here. Unfortunately I do know that output differences can occur between the internal versus external display outputs of a laptop and capturing the former is not trivial at all.

                    dev