Abstract: A graphics display subsystem providing internally timed time-varying properties of display attributes is provided. The graphics display subsystem comprises a display device for displaying consecutive image frames of pixels having a variable display property, and a circuit for transferring image frames to the display device. One or more pixels are selected when a display attribute associated with the one or more pixels is set in an attribute table. The circuit varies, during a selected time interval, the display property of the selected pixels being displayed on the display device. In preferred embodiments, the variable display property is either a stereo image display, an image brightness control, or an image-blending control.

Abstract: A method and apparatus which produces a semitransparent cursor for a video display presenting simultaneous viewing access to both the cursor and the underlying image information. At the on-screen location of the cursor, the viewer is able to simultaneously view and distinguish between the cursor and the underlying graphical data. In one form, the method includes the steps of obtaining the red, green, and blue video pixel data for each pixel representing at least a portion of the cursor; halving the numerical value of each datum of red, green, and blue video pixel data; injecting a binary value into the most significant bit of each datum to obtain modified red, green, and blue video pixel data; and providing modified red, green, and blue video pixel data to a video display.

Abstract: Encoded color image data, stored in a first format such as YUV or YIQ, is converted to RGB format for output to a color display system. The conversion is carried out in real time synchronism with generation of the display, in order to minimize buffer storage requirements for the RGB output data. Present circuits use RAM (random access memory) storage arrays lookup tables for product functions defined in associated conversion equations. Each product function is a product of multiplication of a predetermined constant and data representing a U or V component of a source image pixel. Use of these tables effectively speeds up the conversion process, and has the added advantage of flexibility since the respective data is changeable to adjust to various image and display formats and conditions. In one embodiment, a RAM array used in the present format conversion process is also used (in a different display mode, with different stored data) as a conventional source of palette data.

Abstract: A graphics display subsystem providing internally timed time-varying properties of display attributes is provided. The graphics display subsystem comprises a display device for displaying consecutive image frames of pixels having a variable display property, and a circuit for transferring image frames to the display device. One or more pixels are selected when a display attribute associated with the one or more pixels is set in an attribute table. The circuit varies, during a selected time interval, the display property of the selected pixels being displayed on the display device. In preferred embodiments, the variable display property is either a stereo image display, an image brightness control, or an image-blending control.

Abstract: A computer graphics and display system is provided, comprising (i) a graphics system for outputting a first plurality of digital color signals; (ii) a first digital-to-analog converter (DAC) for converting the first plurality of digital color signals into a second plurality of analog color signals, the second plurality being less in number than the first plurality; (iii) a first analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for reconverting the second plurality of analog color signals back to the first plurality of digital color signals; and (iv) an LCD display device for receiving the reconverted first plurality of digital color signals. The first and second DACs and the first and second ADCs are implemented within the same integrated circuit (IC) chip. The first plurality of digital color signals comprises red, blue and green even pixels and red, blue and green odd pixels. Each color for both even and odd pixels is encoded onto a single pair of the first DACs by interleaving same color pixels onto the single pair.

Abstract: The graphics display system comprises a data bus for transferring a set of application pixels, wherein a set consists of W number of blocks of data, and wherein each application pixel is M number of blocks. The graphics display system further comprises an address bus for transferring memory addresses, a graphics controller for outputting pixel data on the data bus at a rate of one set per memory clock cycle and for outputting one or more column addresses on the address bus for each set, and a graphics memory configured for a memory field size of N number of blocks such that an application pixel being stored is allocated N blocks. A set of application pixels is transferred over the data bus to the graphics memory, and, one or more column addresses are transferred over the address bus during the a memory clock cycle over the address bus. In addition, a row address is transferred to the graphics memory.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for reducing the memory requirements of a decoding subsystem by storing reference frames in compressed form. A reference picture in a sequence is decoded, compressed and stored in memory. When the reference frame is needed for motion compensation, it is decompressed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for a computer graphics system identifies the format of video pixel data in a data stream having a plurality of data formats including a first pixel data format and a second pixel data format, the second pixel data format being a YUV format. The method comprises the steps of (a) receiving pixel data; (b) selecting an output channel in response to at least one particular value of at least one bit of each received pixel datum wherein the particular value identifies the data format as either the first pixel data format or the YUV format; and (c) providing the pixel data to the selected output channel. Also provided is a circuit in a video graphics controller and a computer system having such circuit according to the method.