Implementation of a SPIHT coprocessor: memory issues and hardware implications

In the last years mobile terminals diffusion has fostered the development of new audio-visual services. Thus the possibility to employ wireless devices to exchange multimedia informations is becoming real. Beyond these attractive motivations, some critical factors are hidden: the design of wireless terminals, in fact, has to deal with limited power budgets and reduced resources availability. This paper proposes a hardware implementation of a SPIHT coprocessor, designed for mobile environments. Particular emphasis will be posed on memory requirements and their hardware implications.