Video Pre-Processor for Memory Bandwidth Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Small computer systems, such as mobile devices and thin-client terminal systems, face challenges in efficiently handling full-motion video due to limited CPU processing power, memory capacity, and memory bandwidth, making it difficult to combine full-motion video streams with desktop displays without excessive memory bandwidth consumption.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a video pre-processing system that reduces the resolution of incoming full-motion video data and a pipelined video processor to minimize memory bandwidth usage, along with an On-The-Fly key color generation system to eliminate redundant data reads, allowing for efficient processing and display of full-motion video in systems with limited resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If full-motion video is decoded and merged with desktop image data in the main frame buffer, then full-motion video display capability is achieved, but memory bandwidth consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the video processing into separate stages: decoding full-motion video into a separate buffer, processing desktop graphics into another buffer, and then merging them in the video display adapter. This segmentation prevents full-motion video data from consuming main frame buffer memory bandwidth, as each buffer is processed independently before final composition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a separate full-motion video buffer and a video display adapter as intermediary components. The full-motion video is decoded into this separate buffer rather than directly into the main frame buffer, and the video display adapter serves as a mediator to merge the full-motion video buffer with the desktop frame buffer, thereby isolating the memory bandwidth consumption of full-motion video from the main display system.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple video processing operations (decoding, merging, resizing) are performed, then full-motion video display is achieved, but processing time and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary processing by decoding full-motion video into a separate buffer before it needs to be merged with the desktop display. This allows the video data to be prepared in advance in a dedicated buffer, reducing the processing burden during the actual display refresh cycle and enabling more efficient time management of processing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic processing where the video display adapter merges full-motion video frames with desktop graphics frames in real-time based on the current display refresh requirements. This dynamic merging approach allows the system to adapt processing operations to the actual timing and resolution requirements of each frame, optimizing processing time.
3Manufacturing precision
If full-motion video is displayed at high resolution, then video quality is improved, but memory bandwidth and processing power requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing different parts of the display system to operate at different resolutions and quality levels. The full-motion video can be decoded and processed at its native resolution in a separate buffer, while the desktop graphics can maintain their own resolution characteristics. The video display adapter then merges these independently processed streams, enabling high-quality video display without requiring the entire system to operate at maximum resolution, thus reducing overall memory bandwidth and processing power requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
The video output system in a computer system reads pixel information from a frame buffer to generate a video output signal. In addition, full-motion video may also be displayed in a window defined in the frame buffer. If the native resolution of the full-motion video is larger than the window defined in said frame buffer then valuable memory space and memory bandwidth is being wasted by writing said larger full-motion video in a memory system (and later reading it back) when some data from the full-motion video will be discarded. Thus, a video pre-processor is disclosed to reduce the size of the full-motion video before that full-motion video is written into a memory system. The video pre-processor will scale the full-motion video down to a size no larger than the window defined in the frame buffer.