Image display system and method

1. A method of displaying an image, the method comprising:

receiving image data for the image;

defining a first sub-frame of the image having a plurality of image elements;

defining a second sub-frame of the image having a corresponding plurality of image elements, with each image element of the second sub-frame spatially offset an offset distance from a corresponding image element of the first sub-frame, there being a portion of the image represented by an image element of the second sub-frame and also by at least two image elements of the first sub-frame, wherein the first and second sub-frames represent different portions of the image with a portion of each sub-frame being in common;

displaying the first sub-frame in a first position; and

displaying the second sub-frame in a second position, with each displayed image element of the second sub-frame spatially offset substantially the offset distance from the corresponding displayed image element of the first sub-frame.

2. The method of claim 1 , where the second sub-frame is offset at least one of a vertical distance and a horizontal distance from the first sub-frame, and where displaying the second sub-frame includes displaying the second sub-frame the at least one of the vertical distance and the horizontal distance from the first sub-frame.

3. The method of claim 1 , where displaying the first sub-frame and displaying the second sub-frame include modulating light with a plurality of modulating elements corresponding to the image elements of each sub-frame.

4. The method of claim 1 , further including:

defining a third sub-frame of the image and a fourth sub-frame of the image, the fourth sub-frame being spatially offset from the third sub-frame and the third sub-frame and the fourth sub-frame both being spatially offset from the first sub-frame and the second sub-frame; and

displaying the third sub-frame in a third position spatially offset from the first position and the second position, and displaying the fourth sub-frame in a fourth position spatially offset from the first position, the second position, and the third position.

5. The method of claim 1 , where displaying the first and second sub-frames each includes directing light onto a plurality of modulating elements, and modulating a first plurality of the modulating elements according to the first sub-frame and a second plurality of the modulating elements according to the second sub-frame.

6. The method of claim 5 , where directing light onto a plurality of modulating elements includes directing at least one of a red light, a green light, and a blue light.

7. The method of claim 6 , where directing light includes directing light of the same color onto the first and second pluralities of modulating elements.

8. The method of claim 6 , where directing light includes directing light of different colors onto the first and second plurality of modulating elements.

9. The method of claim 8 , where the second sub-frame is offset from the first sub-frame in a first direction, the method further comprising defining a third sub-frame also having a corresponding plurality of image elements, with each image element of the third sub-frame spatially offset a second offset distance in a second direction different than the first direction, and directing light of different colors includes directing a different one of red light, green light, and blue light onto the respective arrays.

10. The method of claim 6 , further comprising defining a third sub-frame also having a corresponding plurality of image elements, with each image element of the third sub-frame spatially offset from the first and second sub-frames.

11. The method of claim 5 , where directing light includes directing light onto a single array of modulating elements including the first and second plurality of modulating elements.

12. A system for displaying an image, the system comprising:

an image processing unit adapted to receive image data for the image and to define from the image data a first sub-frame of the image having a plurality of image elements and at least a second sub-frame of the image having a corresponding plurality of image elements, each image element of the second sub-frame being spatially offset an offset distance from a corresponding image element of the first sub-frame, there being a portion of the image represented by an image element of the second sub-frame and also by at least two image elements of the first sub-frame, wherein the first and second sub-frames represent different portions of the image with a portion of each sub-frame being in common; and

a display device adapted to display the first sub-frame in a first position and the second sub-frame in a second position with each displayed image element of the second sub-frame spatially offset substantially the offset distance from the corresponding displayed image element of the first sub-frame.

13. The system of claim 12 , where the image processing unit is adapted to sub-sample the image data and decrease the resolution of the image data.

14. The system of claim 12 , where the image processing unit is adapted to interpolate the imagedata and one of increase and decrease the resolution of the image data.

15. The system of claim 12 , where the second sub-frame is spatially offset at least one of a vertical distance and a horizontal distance from the first sub-frame, and where the display device is adapted to display the second sub-frame from display of the first sub-frame by the at least one of the vertical distance and the horizontal distance.

16. The system of claim 12 , where the display device includes a plurality of modulating elements forming a plurality of image regions, and a light generator configured to direct a light onto each of the plurality of image regions, the display device being adapted to modulate a first image region with the first sub-frame and a second image region with the second sub-frame.

17. The system of claim 16 , where the plurality of modulating elements includes a single array of modulating elements forming the first and second image regions.

18. The system of claim 16 , where the light includes at least one of a red light band, a green light band, and a blue light band.

19. The system of claim 18 , where the light generator is configured to direct light of the same color on the first and second image regions.

20. The system of claim 18 , where the light generator is configured to direct light of different colors on the first and second image regions.

21. A system for displaying an image, the system comprising:

means for receiving image data for the image;

means for defining a first sub-frame of the image having a plurality of image elements, and at least a second sub-frame of the image having a corresponding plurality of image elements, with each image element of the second sub-frame spatially offset an offset distance from a corresponding image element of the first sub-frame, there being a portion of the image represented by an image element of the second sub-frame and also by at least two image elements of the first sub-frame, wherein the first and second sub-frames represent different portions of the image with a portion of each sub-frame being in common; and

means for displaying the first sub-frame in a first position and the second sub-frame in a second position, with each displayed image element of the second sub-frame spatially offset substantially the offset distance from the corresponding displayed image element of the first sub-frame.

22. The system of claim 21 , where the means for displaying the first and second sub-frames is further for directing light onto a plurality of modulating elements, and modulating a first plurality of modulating elements according to the first sub-frame and a second plurality of the modulating elements according to the second sub-frame.

23. Storage media having embodied therein a program of commands adapted to be executed by a computer processor, to:

receive image data for an image;

define a first sub-frame of the image having a plurality of image elements;

define a second sub-frame of the image having a corresponding plurality of image elements, with each image element of the second sub-frame spatially offset an offset distance from a corresponding image element of the first sub-frame, there being a portion of the image represented by an image element of the second sub-frame and also by at least two image elements of the first sub-frame, wherein the first and second sub-frames represent different portions of the image with a portion of each sub-frame being in common;

display the first sub-frame in a first position; and

display the second sub-frame in a second position, with each displayed image element of the second sub-frame spatially offset substantially the offset distance from the corresponding displayed image element of the first sub-frame.