A high speed color printer for use in an office environment, typically as a networked printer. The printer provides high speed (approximately 74 pages per minute: 37 double sided sheets per minute), high printing resolution (800 dpi) full color printer which incorporates electronic collation and local storage of 1,000 or more rasterized pages. The invention utilizes advances in high resolution pagewidth drop on demand print heads. Also incorporated is a new image compression and real-time expans...

A system for filling at least one of a plurality of different object based rasterized images includes comparing each pixel position along a raster line with pixel edge intersection data of the plurality of different objects to determine if an edge exists at the pixel position, comparing, in the case no edge exists, a next pixel along the raster line while maintaining a currently displayed pixel fill level, and selecting fill level data for each possible one of the plurality of different objects ...

A graphics system is disclosed within which video graphics images are calculated via a computer and output for storage via a buffer whereby the image can be compressed/expanded for storage in compressed form in a dedicated semiconductor memory. The system also permits storage of compressed images on hard disk by directly connecting the compressed image store to a system bus. The compressed image store can be duplicated and further compression/expansion units added to broaden system versatility. ...

A parallel printing system is disclosed which is particularly useful for colour laser printing. The system includes a source of video image data generally derived from a scanner or a graphics system, and a plurality of print engines that, substantially simultaneously, print images output from the source. The printing system also includes a parallel printing desynchroniser that interfaces the source with each one of the print engines and permits asynchronous operation of each of the print engines...

The present invention relates to multi-media products and, in particular, discloses a device (1) which permits both audio and video editing, storage, production and reproduction as well as a computer interface. The device (1) comprises video means (54-59) for receiving input video signals (51,52) and editing and/or augmenting same for output as video output signals (60,61); audio means (83-85) including means for receiving an audio signal (82) and outputing (86,87) same; a host processor means (...

Information displaying apparatus for displaying animated video signals and combination animated and real-time video signals includes a controller for providing control signals for the information displaying apparatus and a host processor for generating graphics commands according to the provided control signals. A real time object graphics processor, controlled by the host processor, receives the generated graphics commands and generates graphics object image data in real-time according to the r...

A real-time interactive entertainment device includes a host processor for controlling the operation of the device, a communicating device for receiving object based image data, and a real-time object (RTO) processor connected to the communication device for generating alterable animation image data based upon received object based image data and/or data stored within the device. The real-time object processor generates animation image data at a rate suitable for display in a HDTV system, and ge...

An inexpensive audio and video processing system (1) for combining animated object images with live video (28) with the addition of a combined audio capability (12) is disclosed. The system (1) includes a video processor system comprising a real-time object (RTO) processor (10) for rendering object-based graphic images, a video input means (30,27) for receiving a first video signal (28), at least one colour mixing and generation device (13) arranged to combine said first video signal (28) with i...

A system for adding transparency to an object based rasterized image includes comparing edge information with a pixel position on a scan line in order to determine the active objects on the scan line based on level information and determining a highest active opaque object level and a highest active transparent object level. According to the present invention, whenever the highest active opaque object level and the highest active transparent object level intersect at one pixel location, the high...

A video camcorder is integrally provided with a real-time animation facility. In particular, a video camera and recorder includes a camera for providing a real-time image signal, an input for receiving animation image data representing at least one animated image and a processing device for selecting one animated image from the animation image data. A real-time processor, connected to the processing device, calculates object priorities for the selected animated image. A video switching device, c...