Embodiments include systems and methods of improving processing in a decoder in a multimedia transmission system. Multimedia data may include one or more of motion video, audio, still images, or any other suitable type of audio-visual data. One embodiment includes a system and method of parsing fixed and variable length codes from a bit-wise stream of multi-media data by maintaining and reading the data in a processor aligned (e.g., word aligned) way. Another embodiment includes a system and method of decoding variable length codes, particular as received from such a variable length code using multiple levels of decoding tables to speed up decoder table lookup.