A parallel implementation of an MPEG1 encoder: faster than real-time

In this paper we present an implementation of an MPEG1 encoder on the Intel Touchstone Delta and Intel Paragon parallel computers. We describe the unique aspects of mapping the algorithm onto the parallel machines and present several versions of the algorithms. We will show that I/O contention can be a bottleneck relative to performance. We will also describe how the Touchstone Delta and Paragon can be used to compress video sequences faster than real-time. The Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) has developed a standard, known as MPEG1, for the compression of digital video signals (and associated audio) at a data rate of 1.5 Mbits/s [1, 2]. The major features of the MPEG1 standard are that it utilizes discrete cosine transform (DCT) coding to remove spatial redundancy in a video frame (similar to JPEG [3]) and motion compensated prediction to remove tempora