A half-pel precision MPEG2 motion-estimation processor with concurrent three-vector search

Motion estimation for MPEG2 requires a huge number of computations to search for the best motion vector. Also a half-pel precision search must be performed with various prediction modes to get a better quality image. Some VLSI motion estimation engines have been reported, but none of them meets all of the above requirements. This paper presents the architectural features, the implementation results and the system performance of a half-pel precision MPEG2 motion estimation processor (ME2) that meets these requirements.