Electronic system and method for selectively allowing access to a shared memory

A computing device method, comprising:

• configuring a main memory bus to pass data at a rate sufficient to operate at least two devices without either of the at least two devices starving for lack of data;
• generating first main memory requests with a first processing unit;
• passing the first main memory requests to a shared main memory through a first main memory interface and over the main memory bus;
• generating second main memory requests with a decoder/encoder;
• passing the second main memory requests to the shared main memory through a second main memory interface and over the main memory bus;
• receiving the first and second main memory requests from the first processing unit and the decoder/encoder respectively with an arbiter;
• arbitrating access to the shared main memory with the arbiter
• retrieving software instructions from the shared main memory, the software instructions passed over the main memory bus in real time;
• executing the software instructions with the first processing unit;
• passing, in real time, video data between the decoder/encoder and the shared main memory over the main memory bus;
• and
• operating the decoder/encoder on the video data.