1. A video decoder comprising: an entropy decoding device that generates entropy decoded (EDC) data from an encoded video signal, that determines one of a plurality of video coding formats associated with the encoded video signal and that further generates format data that indicates the one of the plurality of video coding formats associated with the encoded video signal; a multi-format video decoding device, coupled to the entropy decoding device, that includes a plurality of vector processing units for generating a decoded video signal from the EDC data, wherein the plurality of vector processing units execute one of a plurality of vector instruction sets, wherein the one of the plurality of vector instruction sets includes a plurality of vector instructions for execution by each of the plurality of vector processing units in accordance with the one of the plurality of video coding formats, and the one of the plurality of vector instruction sets is selected based the one of the plurality of video coding formats, and wherein the plurality of vector instruction sets include a vector instruction portion, a scalar instruction portion, and a branching instruction portion, and wherein the scalar instruction portion includes non-vector data and a non-vector processing command to be executed by the at least one of the plurality of vector processing units and wherein the non-vector processing command includes at least one of: a scalar logical operation on the non-vector data, and a scalar arithmetic operation on the non-vector data.