In this paper, we introduce a processor called Media Core Processor (MCP), which targets a system solution for consumer multimedia products. MCP is a heterogeneous multi-processor system designed to guarantee full frame MPEG decoding, and to reduce power consumption. In our processor architecture, each processing unit is optimized to support various characteristics of media processing. All processing units work in parallel in a macro-pipeline manner, thereby achieving high utilization of the processing units. A performance evaluation shows that audio/video full-frame decoding can be realized on 54 MHz operating frequency without any support from external hardware or a CPU. In addition, the high programmability of the MCP provides flexibility and reduces the time-to-market.