1. A pipelined processing system for sequentially processing a plurality of data blocks including only system data or pipeline setup and control commands and associated setup and control data, comprising: a data processing pipeline having at least two pipelined processing circuits which perform predetermined functions on data blocks input thereto, each pipelined processing circuit including means for reading predetermined bits of received data blocks and for processing system data and pipeline setup and control commands and associated setup and control data within read data block which said pipelined processing circuit is authorized to process; and means for providing data blocks having a predetermined number of bits to said data processing pipeline, each data block including means read by said reading means of each pipelined processing circuit for indicating whether that data block contains a pipeline setup and control command, each data block containing a pipeline setup and control command further comprising identifying means read by said reading means of each pipelined processing circuit for identifying whether said pipelined processing circuit is authorized to process that pipeline setup and control command, said providing means providing said pipeline setup and control commands in said data blocks in the desired order for processing by said pipelined processing circuits such that a pipeline data flush is not necessary between reconfigurations of said pipelined processing circuits.