Abstract: A method and apparatus for digital video capturing and compression supports multi-viewpoint interactive video applications. Multiple (typically hundreds of) video cameras centripetally placed in a three dimensional space acquire real-time visual pictures of the same 3D scene from multiple viewpoints at the rate of 20˜30 frames per second (fps). Parallel Multi-Viewpoint Video Capturing and Compression (PMVCC) supports the operation of the apparatus. In an exemplary realization, a Multi-DSP Array (MDA) architecture uses hundreds of high-performance digital signal processors (DSPs) working in parallel to obtain a sustained computation power of hundreds of GIPS (Giga Instructions Per Second).