What does Dithering mean?
Dithering introduces a controlled pattern or noise to make quantisation steps less conspicuous. It changes how limited precision is perceived rather than recovering the exact original values removed earlier.
Why it matters
In image and video pipelines, a subtle varying pattern can make a gradient appear smoother than a set of large visible bands. Its effectiveness depends on implementation, display and viewing conditions. It should not be confused with film grain, random transmission damage or a guarantee of higher native bit depth. A smooth-looking gradient is one result to assess alongside retained texture.
A practical example
A display may make a dim sky look less banded while adding fine variation that is hard to see from the sofa. Judge normal footage too: a process that improves a test gradient should not make faces, lettering or quiet backgrounds distractingly unstable.
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Related terminology: Distributor role, DNS cache.
For practical setup and troubleshooting, browse the journal or support guides.