Computer system for displaying video and graphic data with reduced memory bandwidth
US5867178A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 8, 1995 |
| Grant date | Feb 2, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 8, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG09G2360/123
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The transfer of video and graphic data from a frame buffer to a display system is interleaved in a manner which permits operation with a reduced memory bandwidth. For those scan lines of a display in which the video information appears, video data is retrieved from the frame buffer during the horizontal blanking time of the scan. Graphical data is retrieved from the memory during the active portion of horizontal scan line. By alternating the retrieval of data in this manner, a lower bandwidth operation can be employed, thereby reducing the expenses of the memory. An address translator permits video and graphic data that is stored in different respective formats to be retrieved with a consistent addressing approach. The use of multiple color look-up tables permits full-color video to be displayed even if limited-color graphics are being employed.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.