This paper presents an efficient VLSI architecture for H.264/AVC content-adaptive binary arithmetic code (CABAC) decoding. We introduce several new techniques to maximize the parallelism of the decoding process, including variable-bin-rate strategy, multiple-bin arithmetic decoding, and efficient probability propagation scheme. The CABAC engine can ensure the real-time decoding for H.264/AVC main profile HD level 4.0. Synthesis results show that the multi-bin decoder can be operated up to 45 MHz, and the total logic area is only 42 K gates when targeted at TSMC's 0.18-mum process.