Abstract: A system and methods are provided for processing graphics to be displayed in a portable device. A current mode of operation of the portable device is identified. In a normal mode of operation, image data associated with the portable device is rendered by a graphics system of the portable device and stored in memory external to the graphics system prior to display. When a screen refresh mode of operation is identified, image data rendered by the graphics system is compressed and stored in memory integrated internal to the graphics system. The present disclosure has the advantage of allowing the memory external to the graphics system to be disabled during the screen refresh mode of operation, reducing power consumed by the portable device.

Abstract: A video graphics system employs a method and apparatus for improving throughput of the system. The video graphics system includes a graphics driver, a graphics processor, and a memory. Responsive to receiving a drawing command from an application, the graphics driver determines whether the graphics processor can begin executing the drawing command within a desired period of time. When the graphics processor is heavily loaded and cannot begin executing the command within the desired period of time, the graphics driver partially processes stored vertex information associated with the drawing command, and preferably stores the pre-processed vertex information in the memory. The graphics driver then preferably issues a new drawing command relating to the stored pre-processed information and instructing the graphics processor not to perform any of the processing already performed by the graphics driver. The graphics driver is preferably implemented in software and stored on a computer-readable storage medium.

Abstract: A method and corresponding apparatus for calculating the centroid of a fragment to be rendered is disclosed. The method calls for moving the sampling point of a pixel from its initial center point to the center of the fragment containing a portion of an image to be rendered. The method comprises the steps of receiving a coverage mask containing at least one sample point of the pixel fragment under consideration; determining which of the sample points are within the fragment; determining a value representative of the number of sample points that are within the fragment; determining offset values of the fragment centroid based on the number of sample points within the fragment; and determining the barycentric coordinates of the centroid of the fragment. The centroid of the fragment is where sampling of the primitive will occur. By sampling at the centroid of the fragment, rendered image quality is improved due to the reduced anti-aliasing effects at the edges of the primitive.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for loading data from memory to a cache is provided. The method and apparatus provide substantially improved performance, especially in conjunction with large data arrays for which each element of data is processed completely at once and need not be later accessed. A technique is provided to allow a data element to be loaded directly to a cache location corresponding to the local variable used to process that data element, thereby avoiding copying of the data element to multiple cache locations. In conjunction with the use of non-caching stores of processed results back into main memory, this technique completely avoids cache thrashing within the framework of a conventional microprocessor architecture. This technique is ideally suited for high-performance processing of streaming multimedia data including video processing.

Abstract: A method and system controls multiple TV tuners to allow a user to watch live video at high quality based on a video capture level independent of a video capture quality used to record playback video. The method and system provides an independent TV tuner from which to capture video that will be replayed wherein the capture quality of the video from the tuner will be independent from the quality other tuner. Accordingly, an delayed video stream can have a lower capture quality setting without affecting the capture quality of primary video being viewed by a user.

Abstract: An industrial system includes a processing region for treating an article in the presence of hydrogen and a hydrogen reclamation apparatus. In one embodiment, the hydrogen reclamation apparatus includes a compressor and a separation region having a hydrogen metal membrane. The compressor receives and compresses a hydrogen-containing output gas that is exhausted from the processing region. The compressed gas is conveyed to the separation region where it is separated into a permeate gas and a hydrogen-depleted raffinate gas. In one embodiment, the permeate gas is conveyed back to the processing region.

Abstract: A system, method, and apparatus for compression of video data is presented. The compressed block includes a plurality of offset values, each indicating an offset between a corresponding one among the plurality of pixel values and a reference value. Exemplary methods are described wherein minimum and maximum reference values are derived from the block of pixel values, and a flag associated with each offset value indicates an appropriate reference value. Application of embodiments of the invention to the transfer of depth (Z) information are discussed.

Abstract: In accordance with a specific aspect of the present invention, a compressed video stream, such as an MPEG-2 video stream, is received by a transport demultiplexor, synchronized, parsed into separate packet types, and written to buffer locations external the demultiplexor. Adaptation field is handled by a separate parser. In addition, primary elementary stream data can be handled by separate primary elementary stream parsers based upon the packet identifier of the primary elementary stream. Video packets can be parsed based upon stream identifier values. Specific packets of data are stored in one or more system memory or video memory buffers by an output controller based upon allocation table information. Private data associated with specific elementary streams or packet adaptation fields are repacketized, and written to an output buffer location. In specific implementations, the hardware associated with the system is used to acquire the data stream without any knowledge of the specific protocol of the stream.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for rendering an object using texture variant information begins by determining at least one object invariant parameter based on at least one object parameter (i.e., the parameters used to render the object). The object invariant parameter may include at least one light vector, and/or invariant portion(s) of a texture map. Having obtained the object invariant parameter(s), a plurality of rendering elements are computed based on the object invariant parameter(s), texture coordinates of the object being rendered, and texture variant information. The plurality of rendering elements is calculated by encoding at least one of a plurality of texture parameters to obtain a texture map. Next, uniformed portions of the texture map are encoded into a corresponding texture variant table to produce a plurality of texture variants. Having produced the texture variants, at least one of them is selected based on texture coordinates of the object to produce at least one selected texture variant.

Abstract: A method and a multiprocessor computer for execution of the method. A first CPU has a general register file, an instruciton pipeline, and profile circuitry. The profile circuitry is operatively interconnected and under common hardware control with the instruction pipeline. The profile circuitry and instruction pipeline are cooperatively interconnected to detect the occurrence of profileable events occurring in the instruction pipeline. The profile circuitry is operable without software intervention to effect recording of profile information describing the profileable events into the general register file, without first capturing the information into a main memory of the computer. The recording is essentially concurrent with the occurrence of the profileable events.

Abstract: An apparatus marks files within a content archive. The content archive contains a database that has a plurality of content files. The content archive also contains a plurality of entries or records. Each of the entries corresponds to a distinct one of the plurality of content files. Each of the entries also includes a played field that is automatically set when the corresponding content file has been played. The content archive also includes a writing module that is configured to record a new content file to the content archive and, if insufficient space is available, to overwrite a content file for which the played fields are set. According to one aspect, the plurality of entries also includes an entry corresponding to an overwritten content file previously contained within the database that is no longer contained within the database. The database may contain references to content no longer in the database.

Abstract: A display FIFO memory management system and method includes a programmable FIFO emulator for emulating a drain and fill time of the display FIFO memory to automatically predict a number of register entries remaining in the display FIFO memory at each predefined clock cycle. A programmable timer/counter has programmable precision to accommodate varying bandwidths of display screen display modes and is used to determine the number of entries remaining so that the emulator can accommodate varying screen display modes. A FIFO controller controls the timing of fetching display data from memory to fill the display FIFO memory based on the prediction of the number of remaining register entries in the display FIFO by the programmable emulator.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for frame synchronization in a display circuit is achieved by first measuring a difference between a first frame period and a second frame period. When the difference exceeds a threshold, the first frame period is adjusted by replacing the clock corresponding to the first frame period with one of a slow frame rate and a fast frame rate. The slow and fast frame rates closely approximate an ideal frame rate that would synchronize the two frame periods. By switching between the slow and fast frame rates, the average frame rate approaches the ideal frame rate over time, and the two frame periods are effectively synchronized.

Abstract: An adapter (e.g., connector, dongle) is used to connect a component video television, such as an SDTV or HDTV, to a video providing unit, such as a computer or any other suitable video providing unit, that includes a plurality of video input pins, a plurality of video output pins, a plurality of control pins and a circuit. The circuit is operative to identify to a video providing unit through the control pins, that the component video input television is not of a display type that the video providing unit expects.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for detecting copy protection included in an input video signal is described. Two types of copy protection are particularly addressed, including techniques that imbed copy protection pulses and copy protection phase flips in the video signal. A method for preserving copy protection is also presented, where the input video signal is first examined to determine if copy protection has been included in the input video signal. The input video signal then converted to component video data, which removes any copy protection present. An output video signal is then generated from the component video data, and when it was determined that the input video signal includes copy protection, the copy protection is recreated in the output video signal.

Abstract: In one embodiment of the present invention, an application responds to a low power operation request based upon its current state. In another mode, the application responds based upon its own current state and the state of a second application. Examples of such low power application requests include a suspend operation request issued by an operating system. Examples of such applications include multi-media applications.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for adjusting the amplitude and DC bias of a video signal is presented, which may be performed in preparation for analog-to-digital conversion. This is accomplished by first converting a received voltage mode video signal to a current mode video signal. Similarly, a voltage mode bias control signal is converted to a current mode bias control signal. The amplitude of the current mode video signal is then adjusted to produce an amplitude adjusted video signal. Similarly, the amplitude of the current mode bias signal is adjusted to produce an amplitude adjusted bias control signal. The current mode amplitude adjusted signals are then combined to produce a biased adjusted current mode video signal. The biased adjusted current mode video signal is then converted back to a voltage mode signal, which may be provided to an analog-to-digital converter for conversion.

Abstract: A cache controller (210) includes a streaming memory attribute. The cache controller (210) is coupled to provide data from a cache line within a cache (228) to a memory (124) when both (a) the cache line is full and (b) the streaming memory attribute is set.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for ensuring data coherency in a processing system that includes shared memory is presented. This is accomplished by including a hierarchical validity database within the core logic that interconnects the various memory clients to the memory structure. The hierarchical validity database stores a number of hierarchical levels, where each level pertains to different sized portions of the memory. Validity of a portion, or block, within the memory can be determined by referencing the hierarchical validity database.

Abstract: A multiple device frame synchronization method and apparatus utilizes events completion signaling between multiple devices, such as multiple graphics processors. The signaling serves as a stall command for stalling graphics data rendering commands in a command FIFO of the rendering engine of a graphics processor in response to a rendering complete signal, or other event signal generated by the other graphics processor. Accordingly, the processor that, for example, completes a current frame relay is stalled until the other processor has completed its rendering function for a particular odd line, even line, entire frame or partial frame as desired.