SiliconDVR's ease-of-use yet powerful features is a combination that can't be found anywhere else on the market. It's large, legible interface places the key controls at the fingertips of the camera operator while also enabling full custom functionality without an endless array of step-down menus that typically control camera systems. The Silicon DVR interface is designed to get what you want fast, and features an extensive array of utilities to analyze the incoming camera RAW data to get the best picture possible. Items like per-channel histograms, center zoom modes, an exposure-based zone system display, edge-enhanced focus aids, spot meters, separate view LUT's, and an on-screen 4x loupe are among a number of features that the SiliconDVR interface features to put the cinematographer in complete control of their image. Other enhancements such as a full-screen mode, and full-screen dual-monitor support with independent full-resolution real-time displays, allow for integration with standard HD-SDI on-set systems while allowing the camera operator to display only the most critical information in their viewfinder for unobstructed use and minimal clutter. The direct-to-disk recording and full-resolution instant playback functionality of SiliconDVR allows the director to see the results of a shot immediately after recording, and the integrated timeline functionality provides access to any portion of a clip for critical shot review.

SiliconDVR's integrated CineForm RAW™ recording codec enables the future of digital cinema production to be possible today with the recording of 2K DCI-compliant files in a universal AVI or Quicktime wrapper direct to small notebook hard-drives, and then direct ingest into low-cost editing systems for real-time 2K multi-stream editing on the desktop. RAW digital information from the camera’s sensor is recorded, encapsulated, and managed by CineForm RAW™ codec, which leverages CineForm’s respected Visually Lossless Wavelet technology for multi-generational manipulation without visible compression artifacting. Recording in the CineForm RAW™ Digital Intermediate format preserves the original pixel data, giving the cinematographer or director the added flexibility to further "develop" the recorded digital negatives in post, rather than being forced to make non-reversible decisions and apply camera adjustments on set. The 32-bit floating point internal processing engine of the CineForm RAW™ engine results in higher detail and dynamic range for the same or smaller file size than normal 4:2:2 YUV encoded files.

In addition to the CineForm RAW™ recording features of SiliconDVR is a 12-bit uncompressed RAW mode for special effects, matte generation, and green-screen shoots. SiliconDVR's extensive RAM buffering capabilities ensure that even if their is no RAID available, short sequences can still be shot to disk without any dropped frames. 12-bit RAW files are exported in Adobe's DNG file format for conversion in a number of free and commercial RAW conversion applications, include Adobe Camera RAW, Adobe After Effects, and Dcraw.

With IRIDAS's color management technology integrated into SiliconDVR and the Silicon Imaging camera system, any possible look in the creative mind of the cinematographer can be lensed with the camera, recorded to disk, and made available without further rendering or other processing to editing and post. Because looks are embedded right into the recorded AVI or Quicktime file using the color-management features of the CineForm RAW codec, the director and editor can interact and cut directly with the cinematographer's vision embedded in the file without the need to recreate or modify the look. With an extensive array of primary and secondary color correction control, Iridas' Speedgrade On-set allows the cinematographer to create their own unique non-destructive "virtual looks " that can be instantly loaded into the camera and utilized. Furthermore separate view LUT's allow the cinematographer to create color-calibrated monitor settings to visualize the look of the final print using the on-set monitor, while maintaining a wider-dynamic range digital negative to disk. All IRIDAS "looks" are non-destructive, meaning the color information can be losslessly modified or looks can be swapped at any point in the processing chain with 32-bit float precision. Direct integration with Speedgrade DI allows for a sophisticated suite of color-correction tools to be available for the final conform.

No longer are cinematographers limited to the colorimetry of the camera, the guess-work of what their vision may look like on the final print, or the complicated translation process from on-set to the DI suite which can be fraught with errors and ms-interpretations. For the first time, the fully integrated metadata-managed color pipeline of the IRIDAS with Silicon Imaging's camera systems allows the D.P.'s vision to extend uninhibited from on-set to the cinema screen.

SiliconDVR's integrated frame-store feature takes special effects cinematography to the next level with the ability to-do instant in-camera reference composites and overlays for precise camera alignment and shot visualization in-context of the camera. Still images can be grabbed from the live camera feed or loaded from pre-recorded sequences or images on the hard-drive magazine. In addition to overlays and in-camera composites, images can be recalled for lighting reference or any number of image capture and recall requirements.

Standard 2K and 1080P resolutions can be recorded at up to 30fps. Special Effects and off-speed shooting modes include a variety of overcranking and undercranking options. Slow-Motion shots can be captured at speeds up to 72fps in 720P mode, 3-times the nominal 24P film rate. Long-duration events are captured using the time-lapse recording feature or using the long exposure mode, which accumulates light over several frame times to exaggerate motion for streak-style effects.

SiliconDVR utilizes modern Intel Core 2 Duo technology to make digital cinema at the laptop-level possible for the first time in history. Unlike traditional closed architecture cameras, Silicon Imaging’s open PC architecture enables software and real-time firmware upgrades to the camera head, and also enables a wide range of peripheral connectivity. The recording bit-rates of the 10-bit CineForm RAW™ codec enables direct-to-disk recording on a variety of non-RAID media and storage devices supported by portable in-the-field configurations. A typical portable 160GB USB 2.0 hard-drive holds up to 4-hours of recording, and can be hot-swapped for unlimited footage.

Using the built-in wired and wireless IP connectivity and file-sharing tools of Windows XP, there are new possibilities for on-set collaboration. As each shot is taken, it is now possible to immediately begin editing and compositing with an Adobe Production Studio and CineForm Prospect-2K workstation, connected to the controlling laptop over LAN or WLAN. One cna also simply remove the hard drive magazine and edit the content directly from the disc on another portable laptop while recording happens on a second drive.  Play 10-bit CineForm RAW™ AVI and Quicktime footage in Microsoft Windows Media™ Player and Apple's Quicktime Player, add metadata with Adobe Bridge™, edit in Adobe Premiere Pro™ and Final Cut, or composite in Adobe After Effects™; all without a time consuming ingest process. After the edit is complete, high-end finishing and DI work can then be seamlessly accomplished in IRIDAS Speedgrade DI for real-time post processing and digital cinema color-correction all in a non-destructive 32-bit floating point environment.

Editing and effects can be done in real-time at the user's demand without the hefty cost penalty of high-bandwidth RAID arrays and post gear traditionally associated with 10-bit uncompressed HD workflows. Combine Digital Intermediate AVI and Quicktime files with other YUV or HDV sources on the same timeline and perform real-time editing of up to 4 1080/24p HD streams, without dropped frames or the need to render. On output, select from a variety of advanced demosaic algorithms that adaptively process the RAW bayer data for the highest quality output to film, HD-SDI, HD-DVD, H.264, or Microsoft Windows Media High Definition Video (WMV HD) Format.