Patent · US Expired

Variable length decoder for decoding digitally encoded video signals

US6704361B2 · kind B2 · utility

10Cited by
12References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignees

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 29, 1999
Grant dateMar 9, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 4, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N19/91
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A variable length decoder (VLD) for decoding MPEG-1 and -2 syntax compliant video bit streams. The VLD includes a micro-sequencer and VLD command decode/execution unit for controlling the MPEG decoding process using a novel instruction set. The instruction set includes a set of commands for decoding the video data and a set of flow control instructions. A rotator/barrel shifter is provided for making a predetermined number of encoded bits from the video bit stream available to the VLD and a variable length table decoder for variable length decoding using the MPEG standard variable length code (VLC) tables. The variable length table decoder shares a prefix pattern matching scheme across all of the VLC tables and organizes the variable length codes into a series of subtables. Each subtable corresponds to one of the unique prefix patterns. Variable length codes are decoded by identifying a leading pattern in the video data bit stream and, in parallel, accessing the subtable corresponding to that leading pattern. Run-length and amplitude level DCT coefficient symbols are stored in compressed form, and decoded as needed by an inverse transform unit. Motion vectors are also stored until …

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.