An apparatus and concomitant method for generating an OSD message by constructing an OSD bitstream having OSD data defining a plurality of alternate OSD pixel lines. The OSD bitstream contains an OSD header and OSD data. An OSD unit retrieves pixel control information from the OSD header which is programmed by a processor of a decoding/displaying system. The OSD header contains information that is used to program a color palette of the OSD unit and to provide instructions as to the treatment of the OSD data. If the “Line Doubling Mode” is enabled in the OSD header, then the OSD unit will repeat each OSD line on the next line of video for an OSD region.