Programmable parallel processor for video processing

A programmable parallel processor architecture for real-time video signal processing is described. The architecture is composed of several parallel processor clusters and bus-switch units. The bus switch units combine these clusters in a tandem form or in a parallel form. Each parallel processor cluster can execute one frame picture processing in real time. Each element processor in a cluster processes its preassigned subpicture in a frame period. An experimental 36-element processor system using this architecture is developed for picture encoding evaluation. The results indicate that this approach is a promising one in many application areas, including motion picture encoding.<>