A communication processor of a class, such as an Internet tuner, provides such desirable features (FIG. 2) as LAN support, an SPI interface (128), a dedicated port (56), and ADPCM (22) for audio applications. The invention provides a low-cost, low-power, easily manufactured, small form-factor network access module which has a low memory demand and provides a highly efficient protocol decode. The invention comprises a hardware-integrated system that both decodes multiple network protocols in a streaming manner concurrently and processes packet data in one pass, thereby reducing system memory and form factor requirements, while also eliminating software CPU overhead.