A high throughput architecture for the H.264/AVC CAVLC encoder

One of the encoding methods offered by H.264/AVC is context-based adaptive variable length coding (CAVLC). This paper presents a high throughput hardware implementation of the CAVLC encoder. A dual coefficient scanning phase is investigated and modified to improve the speed of the encoding phase. This improved scanning solution determines all the required data for the encoding phase to be completed in a minimized and constant number of clock cycles. The modified scanning phase approach offers significant throughput capabilities for CAVLC: At 200 MHz, the architecture is capable of encoding 1080p video files at 86 fps.