Video display controller

GPUs with hardware acceleration became popular during the 1990s, including the S3 ViRGE, the Matrox Mystique, and the Voodoo Graphics; though earlier examples such as the NEC μPD7220 had already existed for some time.

Because these methods are very flexible, video display generators could be very capable (or extremely primitive, depending on the quality of the design), but also needed a lot of components.

On the lower end, as in the ZX81, the hardware would only perform electrical functions and the timing and level of the video stream was provided by the microprocessor.

Later PLA solutions, such as those using CPLDs or FPGAs, could result in much more advanced video systems, surpassing those built using off-the-shelf components.

An often-used hybrid solution was to use a video interface controller (often the Motorola 6845) as a basis and expand its capabilities with programmable logic or an ASIC.

Display controller System In Package (SiP) blocks can be found on the die of GPUs, APUs and SoCs.

[citation needed] They support a variety of interfaces: VGA, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, VHDCI, DMS-59 and more.

The PHY includes LVDS, Embedded DisplayPort, TMDS and Flat Panel Display Link, OpenLDI and CML.

It was used in the NEC PC-9801, APC III, IBM PC compatibles, DEC Rainbow, Tulip System-1, and Epson QX-10.