Analysis of embedded video coder systems

Because of the increasing complexity of embedded systems, the related design process is becoming more and more complex and time-consuming. In this setting, the employment of standard tools and methodologies could significantly support designers in reducing time to market as well. In this paper we present our experience in the design space exploration for devices based on H.264 video coders. Despite of the inevitable inaccuracies due to the adoption of a system-level approach, the overall methodology has shown to be suitable to properly point out the most convenient architectural solutions by means of fast, high level simulation.