An encoder/decoder chip set for the MPEG video standard

A VLSI chip set capable of real-time MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) video encoding/decoding has been developed. It is composed of an inter-frame prediction chip, a transform and quantization chip, and a variable length coding chip. To make the chip set more cost effective, the MPEG algorithms are first partitioned into three blocks on the basis of their characteristics. Individual chip architectures are designed with the use of programmable DSP and application specific array approaches. A hierarchical data transmission method is introduced for use among the chips and frame memories. By using three chips, an MPEG video encounter can compress a 30-frames/s image sequence of 352 pels×240 lines. A decoder can be constructed with two chips for the same sequence