MPEG-2 VIDEO DECODER FOR THE DIGITAL HDTV GRAND ALLIANCE SYSTEM

Abstract

A real-time video decoder which can decompress an MPEG-2 video bitstream having a bitrate up to 45 Mb/s is described. The decoder, which can operate at HDTV pixel rates, was built as part of the Grand Alliance (GA) HDTV system. It is currently undergoing testing by the Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service (ACATS). The hardware converts encoded bitstreams into displayable video signals. Various video and film frame rates are supported, and switching between all format and frame rate combinations is accomplished seamlessly. This paper describes the GA video decoder hardware architecture and implementation. >