Thanks to rapid progress in computer technology and VLSI technology, we are approaching the stage where ordinary PCs will be able to handle real-time video signals as easily as they handle text data. First, features and applications of the video compression standard MPEG2 are surveyed as a typical video processing. It is clarified that real-time capability becomes more important as applications of MPEG2 widely spread. The trends of video coding in LSIs are summarized. And it is shown that the most advanced encoder/decoder LSI has an improved price-performance ratio that allows it to be adopted in consumer equipment. Finally, future directions of parallel architecture in video processing are surveyed in terms of special-purpose and general-purpose processing. The special approach has always taken the lead in video processing using sophisticated hardware-oriented parallel architectures. The general-purpose architecture method has gradually evolved in accordance with a software-oriented architecture. Both approaches will continue to evolve into a new stage by selecting possible parallel architectures such as multimedia instruction sets and process-level parallelism, and applying them in compound use. The so-called super processor architecture will emerge in the near future and it will be an ideal method that can manage rapid increase in requirements of capability and applicability in video processing.