Variable length coding and decoding using counters

An encoding system, comprising:

• a memory or storage device storing a program for encoding digital video data into compressed digital video data;
• a processing unit operable to execute the program, wherein said execution of the program causes the processing unit to:
• encode a first syntax element value associated with the digital video data with a first codeword according to a table that correlates at least the first codeword with the first syntax element value and that correlates a second codeword with a second syntax element value, the first codeword having more bits than the second codeword;
• increment a first counter associated with the first codeword;
• compare the value of the first counter with the value of a second counter, the second counter being associated with the second codeword;
• if the value of the first counter is at least equal to the value of the second counter, swap the second codeword with the first codeword such that the second codeword is associated with the first syntax element value and the first codeword is associated with the second syntax element value;
• and
• if the value of the first counter is less than the value of the second counter, not swap the second codeword with the first codeword.

One or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method of decoding digital media data, the method comprising:

• decoding a plurality of codewords from a bitstream of compressed video information such that the codewords are replaced by corresponding symbols associated with the codewords, the associations of the codewords to the corresponding symbols being stored in a table;
• incrementing counters that account for the occurrence of each of the symbols during the decoding;
• counting the number of symbols from the table that occur in the bitstream;
• and
• periodically reducing the values of the counters in order to prevent the values of the counters from exceeding an overflow limit by reducing the values of the counters when the number of symbols from the table that occur in the bitstream reaches a threshold value.