Above-and-below stereoscopic format with signifier

[0028]FIG. 1 shows four vertical periods of the output of a graphics card. The first portion is the vertical sync period VSYNC (101). The second portion is the vertical front porch VFP (102). VFP is the period after the end of vertical sync but before the vertical display area. The third portion is the vertical display area VDISP (103). The fourth portion is the vertical back porch VBP (104). VBP is the period after the end of vertical display area but before the vertical sync. The total vertical period, whether expressed in terms of time or in number of lines, can be expressed by the following formula:

VTOTAL=VSYNC+VFP+VDISP+VBP

[0029]The vertical blanking period, again expressed in terms of time or in number of lines, can be expressed by the following formula:

VBLANK=VSYNC+VFP+VBP

[0030]FIG. 1 also shows the equivalent horizontal periods HSYNC (105), HFP (106), HDISP (107), and HBP (108). Similar formulas are:

HTOTAL=HSYNC+HFP+HDISP+HBP

HBLANK=HSYNC+HFP+HBP

[0031]FIG. 2 shows the various pe