Image processing apparatus for an on-screen-display which displays one image over another image

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is an object of this invention to provide an image processing apparatus that can freely display onto an on-screen-display not only text information but also an image other than a text image and also a natural image including natural or transparent colors taken with a camera as a still or a motion picture.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image processing apparatus comprising an image memory comprising a first storing area for storing first image data for a background and a second storing area for storing second image data for an on-screen-display; a display buffer memory for storing data in a format used for display based on said first and second image data read from said image memory; and a controller for controlling accesses to said image memory and said display buffer memory, the controller reading the first image data from said first storing area in said image memory and writing said first image data into said display buffer memory and reading the second image data from said second storing area in said image memory and writing said second image data into a designated area in said display buffer memory.
The first image data for a background and the second image data for on-screen-display are stored separately in the image memory.
The first image data is read from the image memory and written in the display buffer memory, and then the second image data is read from the image memory and written in the display buffer memory.
Not only the text image but also natural images can be used for an on-screen-display, and those images can be displayed in any sizes and at any positions on the screen.
Also, those images can be moved afterward and colored in transparent colors or composite colors.