doublegate · doublegate · Jul 12, 2026 · Jul 12, 2026
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+# RustyNES v2.1.9 — Fathom (presentation and signal — Aperture)
+
+The **presentation-and-signal** step of the v2.1.5 → v2.2.0 "deepen the existing project" run — a marquee display release. Every shader / signal / capture / editor path is **opt-in and default-off**, so the shipped default presentation stays **byte-identical**: **AccuracyCoin 141/141 (100.00%)**, nestest 0-diff, `visual_regression` byte-identical. Landed in PR #283.
+
+## Added
+
+### Marquee CRT shader stack (B6)
+
+WGSL ports of three reference slang CRT shaders, first-class `BuiltinPass` variants selectable in **Settings → Shaders**, each with `#pragma parameter` sliders wired to the uniform slots:
+
+- **CRT-Royale** — the aperture/shadow/slot-mask + scanline + convergence classic.
+- **crt-guest-advanced / guest-dr-venom** — mask type, scanline weight, beam, glow, curvature.
+- **Sony Megatron** — the HDR CRT model (mask/gamma/HDR controls).
+
+Plus **per-game shader presets** (`PerGameConfig.shader_preset`, resolved on ROM load via `ShaderPresetBank::resolve`; `None`/unknown = byte-identical default) and five showcase built-in presets. All four new shaders parse and validate under the exact naga-29 validator wgpu uses.
+
+### Raw NTSC composite signal-decode path (P4)
+
+A new `rustynes-ppu::raw_signal` module generates the **un-decoded 2C02 composite waveform** (the Bisqwit `nes_ntsc` / Mesen2 "raw palette" model — a 512×12 chroma/level/emphasis table, `no_std`, transcendental-free with a `GOLDEN_SIGNAL` const-eval lock), and a new `signal_decode.wgsl` pass reconstructs the true two-level chip square wave from the index framebuffer and demodulates it — giving **signal-accurate artifact color** (waterfall dithering, transparency tricks) alongside the existing generated-palette + shader ladder. The demodulator uses a rotating-oscillator (3 transcendentals/pixel, not per-tap `sin`/`cos`) and a non-negative modulo so edge pixels stay phase-consistent.
+
+### Capture + palette editor
+
+- **GIF + WAV export** (`Container::{Gif,Wav}`) extending the `av-record` capture pipeline — video-only palettegen/paletteuse GIF at 25 fps, audio-only `pcm_s16le` WAV, with save-dialog filters. The recorder is unchanged (read-only taps; the emulation timeline is never perturbed).
+- **Generated-NTSC palette editor** with a **live 16×4 preview** that regenerates from the current hue/sat/contrast/brightness/gamma params via `generate_base_palette` as you drag.
+
+## Notes
+
+- Version: workspace `2.1.8 → 2.1.9` (Cargo.lock refreshed). No dependency or mobile changes (the mobile apps re-release at v2.3.0).
+- **No default-build behavior change.** All shaders, the raw-composite path, capture, and the palette editor are opt-in; the default presentation and the deterministic core are untouched. AccuracyCoin stays **141/141 (100.00%)**, nestest 0-diff, `visual_regression` byte-identical, save-state and the 60-ROM commercial oracle unchanged.
+- Docs updated in-change: `docs/frontend.md` (the CRT stack, capture, palette editor), `docs/ppu-2c02.md` (raw-composite output), `CHANGELOG.md`.
+- Full host gate green: fmt · clippy (native all-targets + feature combos incl. `av-record` + wasm32) · rustdoc (`-D warnings`) · `no_std` cross-compile (`thumbv7em`) · markdownlint (pinned v0.39.0) · the new-shader naga validation + `shader_pass` / `raw_signal` / `per_game` suites · AccuracyCoin 141/141 + `visual_regression` byte-identical · version consistency.
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ cycle-accurate core later replaced.
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [2.1.9] - 2026-07-12 - "Fathom" (presentation and signal — marquee CRT shader stack (CRT-Royale / guest-advanced / Sony Megatron) + raw NTSC composite signal-decode path + GIF/WAV capture + generated-palette editor — "Aperture")
+
 ### Added
 
 - **Marquee CRT shader stack + raw NTSC composite signal (v2.1.9 "Presentation

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ members = [
 ]
 
 [workspace.package]
-version = "2.1.8"
+version = "2.1.9"
 edition = "2024"
 rust-version = "1.96"
 license = "MIT OR Apache-2.0"

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 </p>
 
 <p align="center">
-  <a href="https://github.com/doublegate/RustyNES/actions"><img src="https://github.com/doublegate/RustyNES/workflows/CI/badge.svg" alt="Build Status"></a> <a href="#license"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT%20OR%20Apache--2.0-blue.svg" alt="License: MIT OR Apache-2.0"></a> <a href="https://github.com/doublegate/RustyNES/releases"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/version-v2.1.8-blue.svg" alt="Version"></a> <a href="rust-toolchain.toml"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/rust-1.96-orange.svg" alt="Rust: 1.96"></a><br>
+  <a href="https://github.com/doublegate/RustyNES/actions"><img src="https://github.com/doublegate/RustyNES/workflows/CI/badge.svg" alt="Build Status"></a> <a href="#license"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT%20OR%20Apache--2.0-blue.svg" alt="License: MIT OR Apache-2.0"></a> <a href="https://github.com/doublegate/RustyNES/releases"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/version-v2.1.9-blue.svg" alt="Version"></a> <a href="rust-toolchain.toml"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/rust-1.96-orange.svg" alt="Rust: 1.96"></a><br>
   <a href="#compatibility-and-accuracy"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/AccuracyCoin-100%25%20(141%2F141)-brightgreen.svg" alt="AccuracyCoin"></a> <a href="#compatibility-and-accuracy"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/nestest-0--diff-brightgreen.svg" alt="nestest"></a> <a href="https://doublegate.github.io/RustyNES/"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/play-in%20browser-success.svg" alt="Try in browser"></a><br>
   <a href="#platform-support"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/platform-Windows%20%7C%20Linux%20%7C%20macOS%20%7C%20Web%20%7C%20Android%20%7C%20iOS-lightgrey.svg" alt="Platform"></a>
 </p>
@@ -775,19 +775,16 @@ and the Material-for-MkDocs documentation handbook at
 
 ## Current Release
 
-RustyNES's current release is **v2.1.8 "Fathom" ("Tempo")**, the performance step of the
-v2.1.5 → v2.2.0 "deepen the project" run — it adds a **specialized visible-scanline fast
-PPU dot path** (a straight-line renderer for clean dots that drops to the exact 2-cycle-ALE
-loop the instant any sub-scanline disturbance occurs; **~12% faster** on rendering-heavy
-frames), a set of **SIMD-validated software palette→RGBA blitter paths** (scalar / `wide` /
-wasm `+simd128`, all proven byte-identical — but the conversion is a **memory-bound LUT
-gather**, so no SIMD path clears the >3% bar and **scalar stays the default**; the vector
-paths are validated and available, not a shipped speedup), and a **wasm size/startup pass**
-(`wasm-opt -O4` → 3.99 MiB gzip, comfortably under budget). The fast dot path is
-**default-off** and **differential-tested bit-identical** to the exact path across the
-corpus (framebuffer + audio + cycles + snapshot) — so the shipped build stays byte-identical:
-**AccuracyCoin stays 141/141 (100.00%)**, nestest 0-diff, `visual_regression` /
-`pal_apu_tests` unchanged.
+RustyNES's current release is **v2.1.9 "Fathom" ("Aperture")**, the presentation-and-signal
+step of the v2.1.5 → v2.2.0 "deepen the project" run — it adds a **marquee CRT shader stack**
+(WGSL ports of **CRT-Royale**, **crt-guest-advanced**, and **Sony Megatron** HDR, selectable
+in Settings → Shaders with mask/scanline/curvature controls and per-game presets), a
+**raw NTSC composite signal-decode path** (a new `rustynes-ppu::raw_signal` un-decoded 2C02
+composite model plus a `signal_decode.wgsl` pass that reconstructs and demodulates the real
+signal for artifact-accurate color), **GIF + WAV capture** (extending `av-record`), and a
+**generated-NTSC palette editor** with a live preview. Every shader / signal / capture path
+is **opt-in and default-off**, so the shipped default presentation stays byte-identical:
+**AccuracyCoin stays 141/141 (100.00%)**, nestest 0-diff, `visual_regression` byte-identical.
 
 The v2.1.x line opened with **v2.1.0**, the accuracy-remediation release (a display-only
 PPU palette-backdrop-override fix, 86 mapper families promoted BestEffort → Curated, and
@@ -913,7 +910,7 @@ If you use RustyNES in academic research, please cite:
   author  = {RustyNES Contributors},
   title   = {RustyNES: A Cycle-Accurate NES Emulator in Rust},
   year    = {2026},
-  version = {2.1.8},
+  version = {2.1.9},
   url     = {https://github.com/doublegate/RustyNES},
   note    = {Cycle-accurate NES emulator on a master-clock-precise scheduler;
              AccuracyCoin 100\% (141/141), nestest 0-diff; 172 mapper families,