Patent ID: 7352893

Claim:
A method for displaying image data having a plurality of pixels, each pixel having a plurality of values corresponding to a plurality of color components of a color space, each value having a plurality of bits numbering n, the method comprising for each color component and for each pixel: where an interpretation bit for the value of the pixel for the color component is a first value, displaying the color component for the pixel as the value of the pixel for the color component; and, where the interpretation bit for the value of the pixel for the color component is a second value, displaying the color component for the pixel as one of: 2 n plus the value of the pixel for the color component; −2 n plus the value of the pixel for the color component; 0.5 plus the value of the pixel for the color component; where the most significant bit of the plurality of bits of the value of the pixel for the color component is a first value, −2 n −1 plus a value equal to the least significant (n−1) bits of the plurality of bits of the value of the pixel for the color component; and, where the most significant bit of the plurality of bits of the value of the pixel for the color component is a second value, 2 n plus a value equal to the least significant (n−1) bits of the plurality of bits of the value of the pixel for the color component.