Described systems and methods allow a reduction in the memory bandwidth required in video coding (decoding/encoding) applications. According to a first aspect, the data assigned to each memory word is chosen to correspond to a 2D subarray of a larger array such as a macroblock. An array memory word organization allows reducing both the average and worst-case bandwidth required to retrieve predictions from memory in video coding applications, particularly for memory word sizes (memory bus widths) larger than the size of typical predictions. According to a second aspect, two or more 2D subarrays such as video predictions are retrieved from memory simultaneously as part of a larger 2D array, if retrieving the larger array requires fewer clock cycles than retrieving the subarrays individually. Allowing the combination of multiple predictions in one memory access operation can lead to a reduction in the average bandwidth required to retrieve predictions from memory.