Patent ID: 6975310

Claim:
An apparatus including a fade controller for providing programmable fade rates for an on-screen display (OSD) window within a video display, comprising: accumulation circuitry that responds to reception of a plurality of accumulation control signals and respective programmable vertical and horizontal fade interval data signals corresponding to respective programmable vertical and horizontal OSD fade intervals by providing respective pluralities of cumulative vertical and horizontal fade interval data signals corresponding to respective pluralities of cumulative vertical and horizontal OSD fade intervals; counting circuitry, coupled to said accumulation circuitry, that responds to reception of a plurality of timing control signals and said pluralities of cumulative vertical and horizontal fade interval data signals by providing vertical and horizontal count signals corresponding to respective completions of said cumulative vertical and horizontal OSD fade intervals; and encoding circuitry, coupled to said counting circuitry, that responds to reception of a plurality of OSD window control signals and said vertical and horizontal count signals by providing an OSD fade control signal corresponding to occurrence of said OSD window within said video display.