Low-cost multi-standard video transform core using time-distribution scheme

TLDR: Cost-effective two-dimensional (2D) discrete cosine transform (DCT) and inverse DCT architectures capable of supporting multiple standards of MPEG, H.264 and VC-1 are presented.

Abstract: Cost-effective two-dimensional (2D) discrete cosine transform (DCT) and inverse DCT architectures capable of supporting multiple standards of MPEG, H.264 and VC-1 are presented. The proposed core utilises a 1D core and a transposed memory to achieve a low cost design. Multi-level factor share is implemented in conjunction with distributed arithmetic in a system to enable the sharing of the coefficient matrix circuit in order to reduce hardware costs. The proposed approach employs a time-distribution scheme to enable the simultaneous processing of the first and second dimensions to enhance throughput. A high efficiency of this approach was verified by fabricating a test chip using the TSMC 0.18 μm CMOS process. The architecture has an operating frequency of 200 MHz, and throughput of 800 M-pixels/s with a gate count of 44.5 K.