Abstract: A Viterbi decoder system is provided in accordance with the present invention. The decoder system includes a State Metric Update unit including a state metric memory and a cascaded Add/Compare/Select (ACS) unit. The cascaded ACS unit comprises a plurality of serially coupled ACS stages for performing a plurality of ACS operations in conjunction with the state metric memory. An ACS stage is operable to identify a plurality of path decisions and communicate the identified path decisions to a next ACS stage coupled thereto. A Traceback unit is provided for storing a set of accumulated path decisions in a traceback memory associated therewith, and performing a traceback on the set of accumulated path decisions. The path decisions associated with the ACS stage and the next ACS stage are accumulated as a set during the ACS operations before being written to the traceback memory, thereby minimizing accesses to the traceback memory.

Abstract: By utilizing an additional counter and monitoring the maximum state metric at each stage, only forward progressing modulo wrap-arounds will occur and these can be counted. After decoding this count information, it can be used with the initial and final state metric values from the decoder to compute the desired full path metric. The method only requires monitoring state metric wrap-arounds moving in one direction and hence only needs to increment the extra counter as opposed to having to do likewise in the opposite direction. In another embodiment, the method can handle both forward and backward progressions by incrementing and decrementing a counter.

Abstract: A reconfigurable co-processor adapted for multiple multiply-accumulate operations includes plural pairs of multipliers, plural first adders receiving respective product outputs from a pairs of multipliers, and at least one second adder receiving sum outputs from a corresponding pair of first adders. The co-processor includes sign extend circuits at the output of each multiplier. One multiplier of each pair has a fixed left shift circuit that left shifts the product output a predetermined number of bits. The other multiplier in each pair includes a right shift circuit that right shifts the product output the number of bits. Multiplexers at the output of the first multiplier in each pair select the sign extended or the left shifted products. Multiplexers at the output of the second multiplier in each pair select the product, the right shifted product or pass through the inputs. The sign extend circuit for the second multiplier follows the multiplexer.

Abstract: A Viterbi decoder system is provided in accordance with the present invention. The decoder system includes a State Metric Update unit including a state metric memory and a cascaded Add/Compare/Select (ACS) unit. The cascaded ACS unit comprises a plurality of serially coupled ACS stages for performing a plurality of ACS operations in conjunction with the state metric memory. An ACS stage is operable to identify a plurality of path decisions and path differences and communicate the identified path decisions and the identified path differences to a next ACS stage coupled thereto. The decoder also includes a Traceback unit for storing a set of accumulated path decisions in a traceback memory associated therewith, and performing a traceback on the set of accumulated path decisions. The path decisions associated with the ACS stage and the next ACS stage are accumulated as a set during the ACS operations before being written to the traceback memory, thereby minimizing accesses to the traceback memory.

Abstract: A data processing system includes a digital signal processor core and a co-processor. The co-processor has a local memory within the address space of the said digital signal processor core. The co-processor responds commands from the digital signal processor core. A direct memory access circuit autonomously transfers data to and from the local memory of the co-processor. Co-processor commands are stored in a command FIFO memory mapped to a predetermined memory address. Control commands includes a receive data synchronism command stalling the co-processor until completion of a memory transfer into the local memory. A send data synchronism command causes the co-processor to signal the direct memory access circuit to trigger memory transfer out of the local memory. An interrupt command causes the co-processor to interrupt the digital signal processor core.

Abstract: A decoded video signal which was encoded in accordance with a standard, such as MPEG-2, is encoded "on the fly" using a lossless linear predicted coding technique and stored in a compressed form in a RAM. A separate encoding technique is provided for B pictures and for I or P pictures. The compressed B pictures are decompressed for display. The compressed I or P pictures are decompressed for display or for use in decoding other P or B pictures.