Overview: Frame memory and transfers
Frame memory and transfer paths determine how processing stages share, copy and retain pictures.
A hardware surface belongs to a resource and context that the next stage must be able to use. Zero-copy and copy-back arrangements connect those resources differently, while retained surfaces consume memory. These topics explain the handoff and lifetime behind a pipeline's transfer cost or memory limit.
Hardware frame surfaces and GPU contexts
A hardware frame surface represents picture storage within a device/context relationship, with layout, timing, ownership and completion determining how another stage may use it.Zero-copy video pipelines
A zero-copy claim identifies a picture handoff that avoids a particular data copy, while compatible storage, processing and synchronization determine the remaining pipeline traffic.Copy-back video pipelines
A copy-back video path makes hardware-decoded pictures available in a CPU-oriented representation so software consumers can process them before later delivery or encoding.GPU memory limits in video processing
Video-processing memory demand comes from distinct live picture allocations, codec references, queues and intermediates whose layouts and lifetimes must fit the selected device’s usable limits.