Low resolution graphics mode support using window descriptors

• US 8,199,154 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2011
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tang, Chengfuh Jeffrey, Tseng, Steven (Yao-Hua)
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHU K
• Application Number:
  US13/181,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20110273476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 336 Days
• Field of Search: 345/501, 345/428, 345/619, 382/298, 382/299, 382/300
• US Class Current: 345/501
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42653 for processing graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00

Abstract

Herein described is a method and system of displaying low resolution graphics onto a high resolution display. The low resolution graphics may be displayed using one or more displayable maps or surfaces, each of which is defined by way of one or more parameters. The display may comprise a monitor, television set, or set top box, capable of displaying at a particular resolution. In one or more representative embodiments, the various aspects of the invention permit scaling the low resolution graphics onto the high resolution display by way of using the one or more displayable maps or surfaces such that the graphics data is properly displayed on the higher resolution display.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating one or more window descriptors for representing a graphics pixel map, the one or more window descriptors including a parameter that determines a memory spacing between scan lines of the graphics pixel map; and

processing said one or more window descriptors to generate a processed output that conforms to a native resolution of a display.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said one or more window descriptors is received from a memory through a data bus.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said graphics pixel map defines a surface having said resolution that is lower than that of said native resolution of said display.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said processing comprises vertical scaling.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said resolution of said graphics pixel map is equal to 320×

240 pixels and said native resolution of said display is equal to 640×

480 pixels, and said one or more window descriptors comprises a total of 240 window descriptors.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the parameter corresponds to a pitch, said pitch equal to a difference in memory addresses between the first pixels of two consecutive horizontal scan lines.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said pitch is set to value equal to zero such that a line doubling mechanism is implemented resulting in 2×

vertical scaling with half the vertical resolution.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein each of said 240 window descriptors defines two consecutive horizontal scan lines of said 640×

480 native resolution display.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein a window descriptor of said one or more window descriptors comprises a layer number of a window.

10. A system comprising:

a circuitry for performing horizontal and vertical scaling of pixel data;

a data bus;

a memory; and

a processor used to execute one or more instructions stored in said memory, said memory storing one or more window descriptors used by said circuitry for displaying a graphics surface having a first resolution onto a display having a second resolution, the one or more window descriptors including a parameter that determines a memory spacing between scan lines of the graphics surface, wherein said circuitry, said memory, and said processor are communicatively coupled by way of said data bus.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said second resolution is higher than that of said first resolution.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein said first resolution comprises 320×

240 pixels while said second resolution comprises 640×

480 pixels.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein said circuitry comprises:

a controller used for fetching one or more window descriptors from said memory; and

a graphics processor and converter used for scaling said graphics pixel map.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said vertical scaling scales said graphics pixel map from 240 horizontal lines to 480 horizontal lines.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein said one or more window descriptors comprises a parameter that indicates a layer number of a particular surface of one or more surfaces, said particular surface used to formulate a video image to be displayed on said display.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said one or more window descriptors comprises a parameter that specifies a weighting factor of said particular surface.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the parameter that specifies a difference between the first pixel of a first horizontal scan line and a first pixel of a second horizontal scan line of said graphics surface.

24. The system of claim 12 wherein said pitch is set to value equal to zero such that a line doubling mechanism is implemented resulting in 2×

vertical scaling with half the vertical resolution.

18. A system comprising:

means for generating one or more window descriptors for representing a graphics pixel map, the one or more window descriptors including a parameter that determines a memory spacing between scan lines of the graphics pixel map; and

means for processing said one or more window descriptors to generate a processed output that conforms to a native resolution of said display.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said one or more window descriptors is received from a memory through a data bus.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein said graphics pixel map defines a surface having said resolution that is lower than that of said native resolution of said display.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein said processing comprises vertical scaling.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein said resolution of said graphics pixel map is equal to 320×

240 pixels and said native resolution of said display is equal to 640×

480 pixels, and said one or more window descriptors comprises a total of 240 window descriptors.

23. The system of claim 18 wherein the parameter corresponds to a pitch, said pitch equal to a difference in memory addresses between the first pixels of two consecutive horizontal scan lines.

25. The system of claim 22 wherein each of said 240 window descriptors defines two consecutive horizontal scan lines of said 640×

480 native resolution display.

26. The system of claim 18 wherein a window descriptor of said one or more window descriptors comprises a layer number of a window.