Display Pipe Unit for Network Display Latency Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network displays experience unpredictable latency due to non-real-time operating systems and network protocol stacks, affecting user interaction and perception of system performance, especially in mirror mode operations where local and network displays need to synchronize frames accurately.
Innovation Solution
A system with a display pipe unit that composites images and frames for network displays, including a writeback unit to encode and packetize frames, and a second display pipe unit for local displays, allowing for rapid frame generation independent of pixel clock, thereby reducing latency and enhancing mirror mode functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If network display uses non-real-time operating system and network protocol stack, then network communication functionality is improved, but latency becomes unpredictable and increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates frame generation into two independent display pipe units: one dedicated to local display and another for network display. This segmentation allows each unit to operate independently with optimized timing, preventing the non-real-time network protocol stack from affecting local display performance and enabling predictable frame generation for network transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The display pipe unit for network display generates frames in advance without waiting for network transmission readiness. By preparing frames beforehand and using overlap encoding where encoding starts before frame generation completes, the system reduces latency and makes frame availability predictable despite the non-real-time nature of the network stack.
2Stability of the object's composition
If display pipe unit generates frames tied to pixel clock for local display, then local display synchronization is improved, but frame generation speed for network display is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates two separate display pipe units with distinct timing mechanisms. The first display pipe unit is dedicated to local display and operates synchronized to the pixel clock, ensuring stable synchronization. The second display pipe unit operates independently for network display, generating frames as quickly as possible without pixel clock constraints, thereby maximizing frame generation speed for network transmission.
3Device complexity
If system uses traditional display hardware for network display, then hardware simplicity is improved, but mirror mode functionality becomes inaccurate due to latency
Solution Approach 1:
The system adds a dedicated second display pipe unit specifically for network display operations, segmented from the local display pipe unit. This separation enables independent optimization where the network display pipe can generate frames rapidly without being constrained by local display timing requirements, significantly improving mirror mode synchronization accuracy while maintaining overall hardware simplicity through modular architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
In an embodiment, a system includes hardware optimized for communication to a network display. The hardware may include a display pipe unit that is configured to composite one or more static images and one or more frames from video sequences to form frames for display by a network display. The display pipe unit may include a writeback unit configured to write the composite frames back to memory, from which the frames can be optionally encoded using video encoder hardware and packetized for transmission over a network to a network display. In an embodiment, the display pipe unit may be configured to issue interrupts to the video encoder during generation of a frame, to overlap encoding and frame generation.