Patent ID: 6816162
Filing Date: 2004-11-09
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
A graphics system comprising:a first memory configured to store sample data in rows of sample bins, wherein sample data for one or more sample positions are stored in each sample bin and the rows of sample bins define a region in sample space; a second memory configured to store P rows of sample bins copied from P sequential rows of the first memory from a specified portion of sample space, wherein N sequential rows of the P rows are approximately vertically centered on a selected pixel location in sample space, wherein N and P are positive integers, and wherein P is greater than or equal to N; a third memory configured to store sample bins copied from N sequential columns of the N sequential rows of the second memory, wherein the sample bins contained in the NÃ—N sample bin array are approximately centered on the selected pixel location in sample space; a sample processor configured to determine pixel values for the selected pixel location by processing one or more sample values stored in the third memory; and a sample controller configured to select a sequence of pixel locations in sample space that corresponds to a sequence of pixels in a video data stream, and then for each pixel location in the sequence, executes a set of operations that comprises one or more of: a) reading sample data from one or more sequentially selected rows of sample bins from the first memory and storing said sample data in one or more corresponding rows of sample bins in the second memory, b) reading sample data from one or more sequentially selected columns of N sample bins from the second memory and storing said sample data in one or more corresponding columns of N sample bins in the third memory, so that for each pixel in the sequence, the NÃ—N sample bin array is an array of sample bins that are approximately centered on the sample bin that contains the pixel location, c) initiates the determination of pixel values by the sample processor for the pixel location by processing the sample data stored in the sample bins of the NÃ—N sample bin array, and d) outputting pixel data for inclusion in the video data stream.