Pixelfusion v1.50

Introduction

Pixelfusion is a new technology that enhances digital video, and has taken over 2 years to develop to its current standard. From the start, it was designed so that it could be implemented in software and run in realtime on a home PC, but we also made sure that quality was a high priority.

We noticed that most downloaded or streamed video tend to look 'blurry' due to a reduction in the resolution of the video in order to reduce download time. When viewed, it is usually stretched, or resampled, to a higher resolution. This process is what causes the video to become blurry. Video could be viewed at the original resolution, but it tends to be very small, making it difficult to watch.

The key is in the algorithm which enlarges the video to a reasonable viewing size. Usually, a standard bilinear or bicubic algorithm is performed, which work by interpolating the existing pixels in an image to create more pixels. Because they only perform a simple mathematical interpolation which reproduces smooth transitions from one pixel to another, they will always cause an image to appear more blurry.

Pixelfusion is different, in that it attempts to more accurately predict the pixels that existed in the original high resolution source, to create a much crisper and perceptually clearer image.

We have incorporated the technology into a wmp plugin for Windows Media Player, which is available for free via the download link at the bottom of this page. The technology has also been implemented in the Neuview media player, with more options than the WMP plugin.

Features of the plugin -

* Pixelfusion resolution enhancement at Medium quality (150% x 150%)

* 5 sharpness settings.

* Auto lighting option, to allow automatic adjustment of brightness and contrast according to how dark or bright a scene is.

* Ability to manually enable/disable Pixelfusion, or let the plugin automically decide depending on the CPU speed and video resolution.

* Fully optimized code, utilizing MMX and SSE2 instruction sets where available.

Release notes

6 April 2005 - First release of free WMP plugin version 1.20, based on Pixelfusion technology v1.2

* Plugin tested and currently works with DivX, XviD, MPEG-4, WMV and MPEG-1, some compression formats are currently not fully supported.
* RGB colour formats are currently not supported, due to an apparent incompatibility in WMP to allow resizing of RGB video.

25 April 2005 - Version 1.21 released.

* Compatibility improved for some MPEG-4 resolutions, and processing now works correctly when using the MainConcept MPEG-2 decoder.

3 July 2005 - Version 1.30 released.

* Updated to reflect new version of Pixelfusion technology v1.3. Processing is more precise and faster, giving an even clearer and sharper image.

15 December 2005 - Version 1.40 released.

* Bug fix - Sharpness slider was ignored when processing in YV12 mode, which resulted in a non-sharpened image.

21 Feb 2006 - Version 1.50 released.

* Updated to reflect new version of Pixelfusion technology v1.5. Updated pixelfusion lighting and sharpness algorithm, to better complement 200-300 kbs streaming video content

* Minimum spec machine : 1.0Ghz CPU, 128Mb RAM, 16Mb Graphics Card, Windows Media Player 7.0
* Recommended spec machine : 2Ghz CPU, 256Mb RAM, 32Mb Graphics Card, Windows Media Player 10

Plugin properties

Edge crispness - Allows adjustment of output sharpness to suit personal taste.

Pixelfusion - Manually enable/disable Pixelfusion resolution enhancement, or automatically depending on source resolution and CPU speed.

Enable Automatic lighting control - Allow auto contrast/brightness and anti-glare filter, to increase dynamic range and visibility of details in dark/bright areas.

Bypass on High Definition Video - Bypass all processing on HD video, only uncheck with modern PCs.

DOWNLOAD HERE!!!