Method and system for optimizing display power reduction through a continuously variable refresh rate adjustment

A non-transitory computer-readable medium that includes instructions that, when executed by a general purpose processor, configure the general purpose processor to continuously adjust a refresh rate used to display frames of image data, by performing the steps of:

• identifying a first display frame that includes an image surface;
• identifying a usage model of the first display frame indicating that the image surface is a primary surface;
• determining whether content associated with the image surface is fixed frame rate content or variable frame rate content;
• if the content associated with the image surface is fixed frame rate content, then:
• computing a computed refresh rate based on an integer multiple of a frame rate of the fixed frame rate content, or
• if the content associated with the image surface is variable frame rate content, then:
• computing a computed refresh rate based on an effective frame rate of the variable frame rate content;
• and
• sending image data representing the first display frame at the computed refresh rate to a display device to display the first display frame.

A computing device for continuously adjusting a refresh rate used to display frames of image data, the computing device comprising:

• a memory system for storing frames of image data including a first display frame;
• a processing unit configured to execute a display device driver that performs a set of operations comprising:
• identifying that the first display frame includes an image surface;
• identifying a usage model of the first display frame indicating that the image surface is a primary surface;
• determining whether content associated with the image surface is fixed frame rate content or variable frame rate content;
• and
• if the content associated with the image surface is fixed frame rate content, then:
• computing a computed refresh rate based on an integer multiple of a frame rate of the fixed frame rate content, or
• if the content associated with the image surface is variable frame rate content, then:
• computing a computed refresh rate based on an effective frame rate of the variable frame rate content;
• and
• a display controller configured to send image data representing the first display frame at the computed refresh rate to display the first display frame on a display device.