Patent ID: 7173635
Filing Date: 2007-02-06
Classification: G06F,G09G,H04N

Abstract:
1. A method for preparing a three dimensional (3D) computer-generated image for display on a remote device, comprising: rendering, with a three-dimensional (3D) graphics processing unit that includes a texture unit and a shader unit, the 3D computer-generated images in a first image format to produce a rendered image, wherein the rendered image comprises a two dimensional (2D) set of pixels; storing the rendered image as texture data in a video memory that is directly coupled to the 3D graphics processing unit; reading the rendered image from the video memory using texture coordinates for individual pixel fragments without copying the rendered image from the video memory to a system memory in order to convert the rendered image into texture data; transforming, with the three-dimensional (3D) graphics processing unit, the rendered images into a second image format to produce a transformed image, the second image format utilizing fewer data bits per pixel than the first image format; storing the transformed image in the video memory; transferring the transformed image from the video memory to the system memory using a direct memory access process; reading the transformed image from the system memory; and sending the transformed image to the remote device through a network interface.