A framework for fully configurable video coding

Video coding solutions based on fixed, pre-defined video coding standards have certain limitations. Dynamic reconfiguration has the potential to offer greater rate-distortion performance than fixed codecs, making it possible to rapidly implement new algorithms and efficiently support multiple coding formats on a single platform. In this paper we describe a framework for dynamic re-configuration of video codecs, fully configurable video coding, in which new or modified decoder designs are generated, transmitted and implemented by a Universal Video Decoder. We present initial results of a real-time software prototype.