Window copy-swap using multi-buffer hardware support

A method of copying a pixel region, comprising:

• (a) providing a frame buffer configured into n interleaved banks where n is greater than one, each bank having a width of m contiguous memory locations where m is greater than zero;
• (b) providing n memory controllers, each memory controller coupled to a bank, and each memory controller having a pair of buffer pointers for holding address offsets;
• (c) generating pixel addresses defining a pixel region with respect to a first offset, the pixel region contained within the frame buffer;
• (d) distributing the pixel addresses to the memory controllers according to the memory locations each memory controller is coupled thereto;
• and
• (e) each memory controller, reading pixels within its bank according to the pixel addresses and a first offset and writing the pixels within its bank according to the pixel addresses and a second offset.

A method of copying a pixel region in a frame buffer, the frame buffer configured into n interleaved banks where n is greater than one, each bank having a width of m contiguous memory locations where m is greater than zero, each memory location having a position within the bank, each bank exclusively coupled to one memory controller, the method comprising:

• (a) generating pixel addresses for the pixel region;
• (b) distributing a portion of the pixel addresses to each memory controller according to the memory locations each memory controller is coupled thereto;
• (c) each memory controller reading pixels within its bank according to the pixel addresses;
• and
• (d) each memory controller writing the pixels within its bank according to the pixel addresses and an address offset,
• whereby the address offset maintains the position of each pixel and each memory controller independently copies a portion of the pixel region.