Implementation of a SPIHT coprocessor: memory issues and hardware implications

In the last years mobile terminals diffusion has fostered the development of new audio–visual services. Thus the possibility to employ wireless devices to exchange multimedia informations is becoming real. Beyond these attractive motivations, some critical factors are hidden: the design of wireless terminals, in fact, has to deal with limited power budgets and reduced resources availability. This paper proposes an hardware implementation of a SPIHT coprocessor, designed for mobile environments. Particular emphasis will be posed on memory requirements and their hardware implications.