System and method for communicating digital display data and auxiliary processing data within a computer graphics system

1. A method of communicating digital display data and associated auxiliary processing data from a frame buffer to a post-processor in a computer graphics system, comprising the steps of:

storing the display data and the auxiliary processing data in the frame buffer;

forming video scan lines from the frame buffer by handling both the display data and the auxiliary processing data as video data;

extending a horizontal active line time of a digital video interface to enable the digital display data and associated auxiliary processing data to be transferred to the post processor; and

transferring the video scan lines over the digital video interface to the post-processor.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of storing the display data and the auxiliary processing data further comprises the step of arranging the display data and auxiliary processing data so that portions of the auxiliary processing data are placed into rows of the frame buffer with corresponding portions of the display data.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of forming video scan lines further comprises the step of increasing a horizontal active line time while reducing a horizontal blanking interval to accommodate the display data and the auxiliary processing data.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising the steps of:

post-processing the display data to produce post-processed display data by applying the auxiliary processing; and

forming video scan lines from the post-processed display data; and

transferring the video scan lines to a display.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the step of forming video scan lines further comprises the step of decreasing a horizontal active line time while reducing a horizontal blanking interval for the post-processed display data.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of forming video scan lines further comprises the step of increasing a vertical active time while reducing a vertical blanking interval to accommodate the display data and the auxiliary processing data.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of post-processing the display data by applying the auxiliary processing data.

8. A method of post-processing digital display data in a computer graphics system as specified by associated auxiliary processing data, comprising the steps of:

storing the display data and the auxiliary processing data in a frame buffer;

extending a horizontal active line time of a digital video interface to enable the digital display data and associated auxiliary processing data to be transferred to the post processor;

transferring the display data and the auxiliary processing data from the frame buffer to a graphics post-processor via the digital video interface by handling both the display data and the auxiliary processing data as video data; and

post-processing the display data as specified by the auxiliary processing data.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of post-processing the display data further comprises the steps of:

selecting one graphics post-processing algorithm specified by the auxiliary processing data from a plurality of graphics post-processing algorithms; and

applying the selected graphics post-processing algorithm to the display data.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the graphics post-processing algorithm is selected from the group of algorithms consisting of filtering, adaptive filtering, edge blending, intensity adjusting, and color correcting.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of post-processing the display data further comprises the step of applying a graphics post-processing algorithm to the display data in accordance with the auxiliary processing data.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the auxiliary processing data comprises a post-processing parameter selected from the group consisting of window ID, filtering parameters, image attenuation levels, and alpha.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of post-processing the display data further comprises the steps of:

applying a graphics post-processing algorithm to the display data; and

modifying an operating parameter of the graphics post-processing algorithm as specified by the auxiliary processing data.

14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the step of post-processing the display data is performed by combining multiple pixels of the display data to produce modified display data.