Method of and apparatus for providing an output surface in a data processing system

An apparatus comprising processing circuitry capable of:

• when an output surface for display is to be composited from a plurality of input surfaces by a composition processor:
• determining whether two or more input surfaces of the plurality of input surfaces can be combined into a single secondary surface for provision to the composition processor;
• and
• when it is determined that two or more input surfaces of the plurality of input surfaces can be combined into a single secondary surface for provision to the composition processor:
• determining, for each of one or more segments along one or more lines of two or more groups of one or more lines traversing the secondary surface, which of the two or more of the plurality of input surfaces is to contribute to the secondary surface at the segment along the one or more lines of the two or more groups;
• generating data representing the secondary surface, which data comprises an identification, for each of the one or more segments along the one or more lines of the two or more groups of one or more lines traversing the secondary surface, of the input surface that is to contribute to the secondary surface at the segment along the one or more lines of the two or more groups, and an indication of the arrangement of the one or more segments along the one or more lines of the two or more groups within the secondary surface;
• and
• providing, to the composition processor, for each of at the segment along the one or more lines of the two or more groups traversing the secondary surface, the identification of the input surface that is to contribute to the secondary surface at the segment along the one or more lines of the two or more groups, and the indication of the arrangement of the one or more segments along the one or more lines of the group within the secondary surface.

A non-transient computer readable storage medium storing computer software code which when executing on a processor performs a method comprising:

• when an output surface for display is to be composited from a plurality of input surfaces by a composition processor:
• determining whether two or more input surfaces of the plurality of input surfaces can be combined into a single secondary surface for provision to the composition processor;
• and
• when it is determined that two or more input surfaces of the plurality of input surfaces can be combined into a single secondary surface for provision to the composition processor:
• determining, for each of one or more segments along one or more lines of two or more groups of one or more lines traversing the secondary surface, which of the two or more of the plurality of input surfaces is to contribute to the secondary surface at the segment along the one or more lines of the two or more groups;
• generating data representing the secondary surface, which data comprises an identification, for each of the one or more segments along the one or more lines of the two or more groups of one or more lines traversing the secondary surface, of the input surface that is to contribute to the region of the secondary surface at the segment along the one or more lines of the two or more groups, and an indication of the arrangement of the one or more segments along the one or more lines of the two or more groups within the secondary surface;
• and
• providing, to the composition processor, for each of at the segment along the one or more lines of the two or more groups traversing the secondary surface, the identification of the input surface that is to contribute to the secondary surface at the segment along the one or more lines of the two or more groups, and the indication of the arrangement of the one or more segments along the one or more lines of the group within the secondary surface.