Patent ID: 7868886

Claim:
A method for displaying digital data using statistical data streams, comprising: receiving digital data; determining at least one data block size; for each data block size; dividing the digital data into a plurality of data blocks based on the data block size, calculating statistical values by a digital processor, including a minimum value and a maximum value, for each data block, and creating a statistical data stream that includes the statistical values for each data block; determining display scaling parameters, including a data points-per-pixel value, for a user-selected portion of the digital data; if at least one data block size is smaller than or equal to the data points-per-pixel value: selecting at least one statistical data stream having a respective data block size smaller than or equal to the data points-per-pixel value, determining the number of complete data blocks contained within the user-selected portion of the digital data, determining the number of partial data blocks contained within the user-selected portion of the digital data, calculating statistical values for each partial data block, and creating a display signal from the statistical values associated with the complete data blocks and the partial data blocks, and otherwise: decimating the digital data to create the display signal; and outputting the display signal.