Method of digital video frame buffer compression

A method of compressing a group of blocks of pixels within a referencing frame buffer, comprising:

• selecting one of the first pixel components from the first block within a group of blocks to be the reference and calculating the differential values of adjacent pixels components of at least two blocks within the same group of blocks of pixels;
• selecting one of the second pixel components from the second block within a group of blocks to be the reference and calculating the differential values of adjacent pixels components of at least two blocks within the same group of blocks of pixels;
• selecting one of the third pixel components from the third block within a group of blocks to be the reference and calculating the differential values of adjacent pixels components of at least two blocks within the same group of blocks of pixels;
• determining an appropriate divider value for each block or sub-block of pixel components within the group of blocks;
• and
• coding the quotients and remainders of the differential values of each block pixel component within a group of blocks or sub-blocks.

A method of compressing a block of pixels with predetermined amount of pixels, comprising:

• compressing the first pixel components within a block or a sub-block with a predetermined fixed bit rate;
• compressing the second and third pixel components within a block or a sub-block with another predetermined fixed bit rate;
• and
• allowing a predetermined amount of extra bits to be allocated from U/V pixel components within a block to code the Y pixel components or from Y pixel components to code the U/V pixel components.