Patent ID: 6870539

Claim:
A device for producing a composite graphical data stream containing pixel data corresponding to an image to be rendered, the composite graphical data stream being formed from multiple graphical data streams, each of the multiple graphical data streams being provided by a graphics pipeline, each graphics pipeline being configured to process pixel data corresponding to at least a portion of the image to be rendered, said device comprising: an input mechanism configured to receive the multiple graphical data streams from the graphics pipelines, provide a frame of data corresponding to the image to be rendered, and insert pixel data from the multiple graphical data streams into said frame of data such that, in response to receiving a first of the multiple graphical data streams, said input mechanism provides said frame of data and inserts the pixel data from the first of the multiple graphical data streams into said frame of data to form at least a portion of the composite graphical data stream; wherein said input mechanism has a first compositing element and a second compositing element, said first compositing element being configured to provide said frame of data in response to receiving pixel data corresponding to the first of the multiple graphical data streams, said first compositing element being further configured to insert the pixel data corresponding to the first of the multiple graphical data streams into said frame of data to form a first compositing graphical data stream, said pixel data corresponding to the first of the multiple graphical data streams and a first displayed portion of said image, said second compositing element being configured to receive pixel data corresponding to the second of the multiple graphical data streams and said first compositing graphical data stream, said pixel data corresponding to the second of the multiple graphical data streams and a second displayed portion of said image, said second compositing element being further configured to combine the pixel data corresponding to the second of the multiple graphical data streams and said first compositing graphical data stream to form a second compositing digital video data stream.