Early scan-out of server display buffer at flip-time for cloud gaming applications

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program for cloud gaming, the computer-readable medium comprising:

• program instructions for generating a video frame within a frame period when executing a video game at a server;
• program instructions for generating one or more user interface features for the video frame;
• program instructions for performing a scan-out process by scanning the video frame scanline-by-scanline and the one or more user interface features scanline-by-scanline to one or more input frame buffers, and compositing and blending the video frame and the one or more user interface features into a modified video frame;
• in the scan-out process, program instructions for scanning the modified video frame to an encoder at the server scanline-by-scanline;
• and
• program instructions for in the scan-out process begin scanning the video frame and begin scanning the one or more user interface features to the one or more input frame buffers at a flip-time for the video frame occurring within the video frame.

A computer system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• memory coupled to the processor and having stored therein instructions that, if executed by the computer system, cause the computer system to execute a method for cloud gaming comprising:
• generating a video frame within a frame period when executing a video game at a server;
• generating one or more user interface features for the video frame;
• performing a scan-out process by scanning the video frame scanline-by-scanline and the one or more user interface features scanline-by-scanline to one or more input frame buffers, and compositing and blending the video frame and the one or more user interface features into a modified video frame;
• in the scan-out process, scanning the modified video frame to an encoder at the server scanline-by-scanline;
• and
• in the scan-out process begin scanning the video frame and begin scanning the one or more user interface features to the one or more input frame buffers at a flip-time for the video frame occurring within the frame period.