Parallel symbol decoding

A method for parallel symbol decoding, the method comprising:

• converting a bitstream into a stream of binary symbols, wherein the binary symbols comprise motion vector data and other compressed image data;
• determining a number of consecutive binary symbols in the stream that comprise motion vector data;
• inserting, at a decoder device, a length field into the stream of binary symbols prior to the consecutive binary symbols that comprise the motion vector data, wherein the length field indicates the number of the consecutive binary symbols in the stream that comprise the motion vector data and the bitstream is exclusive of the length field;
• providing the stream of binary symbols to a first decode path;
• extracting, by the decoder device, the number of consecutive binary symbols indicated by the length field from the stream of binary symbols upon identifying the length field in the stream of binary symbols;
• and
• providing the extracted number of consecutive binary symbols to a second decode path that is separate from the first decode path.

A computer program product comprising instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the instructions comprising:

• instructions for providing a stream of binary symbols to a first decode path, the stream of binary symbols comprising length fields that were inserted at a decoder device;
• instructions for identifying one of the length fields in the stream of binary symbols while providing the stream of binary symbols to the first decode path;
• instructions for extracting a number of consecutive binary symbols indicated by the one of the length fields from the stream of binary symbols before the number of consecutive binary symbols are provided to the first decode path;
• and
• instructions for providing the extracted number of consecutive binary symbols to a second decode path that is separate from the first decode path.