An MPEG decoder with embedded compression for memory reduction

We present an MPEG decoder with reduced system costs by employing embedded compression of the reference frames which are used for motion compensated (MC) decoding. The embedded compression scheme used is based on either block predictive coding or DCT transform coding, depending on the required memory compression. The compression features simple recovery of (MC) block data, while preventing visible artifacts. The compression was optimized for low costs, enabling real application in a commercial MPEG IC. It was found that the same techniques can be applied in the encoder as well.