Ati Technologies Inc.

Ati International Srl

Ati Technologies Ulc

Qualcomm Incorporated

Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Broadcom Corporation

David A Strasser

Allen J Porter

Paul Chow

Gabriel Varga

Chun Wang

Kevork Kechichian

Allen J C Porter

Edwin Pang

Milivoje M Aleksic

Indra Laksono

Larry Alan Pearlstein

Michael G Frank

David I J Glen

Serag Gadelrab

Meghal Varia

Antonio Asaro

Hyukjune Chung

Sudeep Ravi Kottilingal

Eric Demers

Raghavendra Nagaraj

Jeffrey Hao Chu

Biljana D Simsic

Daniel Wai-Him Wong

Ujwal Patel

Pooja Sinha

Sina Gholamian

Ruo Long Liu

Philip Swan

Systems, methods, and computer programs are disclosed for controlling memory frequency. One method comprises a first memory client generating a compressed data buffer and compression statistics related to the compressed data buffer. The compressed data buffer and the compression statistics are stored in a memory device. Based on the stored compression statistics, a frequency or voltage setting of the memory device is adjusted for enabling a second memory client to read the compressed data buffer.

System and method for controlling memory frequency using feed-forward compression statistics

One or more components of a video display device such as a television set can be powered down in response to a determination that a video input source has been paused. The video signal provided by the video input source can be analyzed to determine whether the video source is paused. When the video input source is no longer paused, the powered down components can be restored to fill power operation.

Automatic reduction of video display device power consumption

To receive new services including audio or video content for presentation by a cable-compatible digital television or other digital audio/video receiver, a module may be connected to the HOST-POD interface of the digital television. The module has a receiver for receiving audio or video content in a first compression format, a transcoder for converting said audio or video content from the first compression format into a second, different compression format, and a controller for transmitting the audio or visual content in the second compression format to the digital television over a HOST-POD interface. By using such a module, front-end components of the digital television may be bypassed while back-end components may be utilized to decompress and present the content. The module may be a PC card or smart card for example.

Method and apparatus for using the host-pod interface of a digital television or other digital audio/video receiver for new services

When a stream of packets (e.g. MPEG-2 transport stream) includes certain packets representing unscrambled digital television program content and certain other packets representing the content of a scrambled digital television program that is currently tuned by a receiver, interception of the unscrambled digital television program at an output of the receiver may be prevented by determining whether packets representing program content have an ascertained characteristic (e.g. have a packet ID matching one of a set of packet IDs) that uniquely identifies the packets as representing content of the scrambled program. For packets not having the characteristic, delivery to the output of the digital television receiver in an unscrambled state may be prevented, e.g., by discarding the packet or by overwriting its payload.

Processing digital television programs at a receiver so as to prevent interception of unscrambled programs

A graphics processor receives a compressed encrypted video stream. The graphics processor decrypts the compressed encrypted video stream and stores a decrypted version (i.e., a decrypted compressed video stream) in a protected portion of an on-chip or off-chip video memory. The graphics processor then permits processors and other bus masters on the graphics processor to access the on-chip video memory, but conditionally limits access to other bus masters that are located off-chip, such as a central processing unit located off-chip and coupled to the graphics processor via a bus.

Method and apparatus for maintaining secure and nonsecure data in a shared memory system

To detect at least one of a copy protection indicator and a redistribution control indicator in an analog video signal, the video format of the analog video signal is determined, e.g., by detecting the horizontal frequency and vertical frequency of the signal. Based at least on the determined video format, a region of the analog video signal that may contain the indicator is identified. The region may for example be one or more video lines in a vertical blanking interval. The region is examined until the indicator is detected. The indicator is confirmed, e.g., by re-detecting one or more occurrences of the same indicator value(s) later in the video signal. Once confirmed, the indicated copy protection and/or redistribution control may be effected by limiting either or both of copying and redistribution of the analog video signal. The indicator may for example be Copy Generation Management System Analog plus Redistribution Control (CGMS-A+RC) information.

Detection of copy protection indicators or redistribution control indicators in an analog video signal

A copy protection (CP) key used by a sending source, such as a POD, to encrypt content such as audio and/or video information is derived by a first key generator associated with a first processor and is locally encrypted by the first processor using a locally generated bus encryption key to produce a bus encrypted CP key that is sent over a local unsecure bus to a second processor, such as a graphics processor. The second processor decrypts the bus encrypted copy key using a decryption engine to obtain the CP key. The second processor receives the encrypted content and in one embodiment, also uses the same decryption engine to decrypt the encrypted content. The first and second processors locally exchange public keys to each locally derive a bus encryption key used to encrypt the CP key before it is sent over the unsecure bus and decrypt the encrypted CP key after it is sent over the bus. The locally exchanged public keys are shorter in length than those used between the CPU and POD to produce the original CP key.

Method and apparatus for providing a bus-encrypted copy protection key to an unsecured bus

Method and apparatus for providing bus-encrypted copy protection key to an unsecured bus

A system and methods are shown for improved processing of motion compensated video. A software driver handles image data related to motion compensated video. The image data includes IDCT coefficients and motion compensation vector data. A unique identifier is attached to the image data, preserving the relationship between the IDCT coefficients and motion compensated vector data related to an image block. The software driver sends the IDCT coefficients to an IDCT component. The IDCT coefficients are processed and an interrupt is sent to the software driver including the unique identifier of the processed IDCT coefficients. The software driver sends the motion compensation vector data related to the unique identifier in the interrupt. A 3D pipe receives the motion compensation vector data and reads the corresponding processed IDCT data. The 3D pipe sends an interrupt allowing the software driver to submit new IDCT coefficients as the 3D pipe processes the current motion compensation data with the read IDCT data. The 3D pipe processes the motion compensation data along with the read IDCT data to generate at least a portion of an image. The image portion is stored in a frame buffer until it is ready to be displayed.

System for improved efficiency in motion compensated video processing and method thereof

A method and apparatus for decompressing compressed data, which includes video data that has been compressed in accordance with the MPEG 2 standard, wherein the processing begins by retrieving components from a non-local memory at a rate that is independent of the rate in which the components were written into the non-local memory. The components include motion vectors and run/level data. As the components are retrieved from memory, the run/level data is used to produce representations of the uncompressed data. As the representations of the uncompressed data are generated, they are processed based on the motion vector data to recapture the uncompressed data. The uncompressed data is then stored in a frame buffer for subsequent display.

Method and apparatus for decompressing compressed data

A method and apparatus for decoding a stream of data blocks begins by determining an encoding type of a received data block of the stream of data blocks. When the encoding type of the received data block is of a first encoding type, portions of a reference data block are transferred from non-local memory to a reference section of local memory. As the portions of the reference block are transferred, a first section of local memory is utilized to decode the received data block based on the portions of the reference data block contained in the reference section and a relational data decoding convention. The resulting decoded data block is transferred from the first section of local memory to a second section of local memory.

Method and apparatus for decoding a stream of data

A method and apparatus for video decoding of compressed video data begins by generating a plurality of coefficients based on run level data of two-dimensional frequency components corresponding to the compressed video data. As the coefficients are generated, they are stored in a coefficient section of memory. Once the coefficients have been stored, they are utilized to generate intermediate results. As the intermediate results are being generated, they are stored in an intermediate section of the memory. Next, representations of the video data are generated based on the intermediate results and stored in an output section of the memory. The storing and retrieving of the coefficients, intermediate results, and representations of the video data are done in a time multiplexed manner.

Method and apparatus for decoding compressed video

A method and apparatus for converting the color base of an image input layer include processing that begins by interpreting a conversion flag. The processing then continues by converting the color base of the image input layer from a first color base to a second color base when the conversion flag indicates a color base conversion. Note that a color base corresponds to standardized colorometries of video signals, color space of video signals, and/or any other displaying characteristics of video signals that are standardized or may be subsequently standardized. Further note that an image input layer corresponds to a display or portion thereof (e.g., a window or a picture in picture), wherein the display is capable of presenting images from multiple video and/or graphics data sources (e.g., a television signal and a computer application).

Method and apparatus for converting color base of an image layer

A method and apparatus for encoding a stream of data blocks begins when a stream of data blocks is received. The stream of data blocks may include a plurality of sequences of data blocks. The encoding process then continues by storing a first grouping of data blocks of a first sequence in non-local memory. Having stored the first grouping in non-local memory, one of the data blocks is retrieved from the non-local memory. The retrieved data block is then encoded utilizing a working section of local memory based on a relational data encoding convention. Next, the encoding process retrieves a second data block of the first grouping of data blocks from the non-local memory. In addition, portions of the first data block will be retrieved from the non-local memory and provided to a reference section of local memory. The second data block is then encoded in a working section of local memory based on the portions of the first data block and the relational data encoding convention.

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Toronto, Canada

David A Strasser