1. A method within a data processing system of compressing an image frame having a plurality of pixels assigned digitized color and luminance data, the method comprising the data processing system implemented steps of: dividing the image frame within said data processing system into a plurality of non-overlapping elementary units, each elementary unit comprising a plurality of pixels; retrieving an elementary unit having pixels with differing digitized color and luminance data for pattern matching; assigning each pixel of a retrieved elementary unit a pattern value, which is the same for all pixels sharing a color and luminance value in the elementary unit; providing a sequence of associated sets of pattern match and error condition tables within said data processing system; grouping pattern values into offsets into each associated set of pattern match tables and error condition tables; accumulating entries from the offsets into each associated set of pattern match and error condition tables to generate indicia of pattern matches; comparing the indicia from the accumulating step to locate a pattern which best matches the pattern value assignments for the elementary unit within a preselected error tolerance; generating a code for inclusion in a compressed video stream identifying the pattern and including the color and luminance values for the retrieved elementary unit; and storing said compressed video stream.