Methods and apparatus for switching between different video processing modes in an apparatus. In a first mode, minimal processing of the video frames may be performed by the apparatus prior to feeding the frames to a display controller. In a second mode, the apparatus may perform additional rendering of the video frames including compositing of other graphical input with the rendered video frames to generate display frames that may be fed to the display controller. To conserve power, the apparatus may operate in or switch to the first mode when the additional rendering and compositing is not required or when the device is in a low power mode, and operate in or switch to the second mode when the additional rendering and compositing is required to render desired graphical effects.