In the ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) scenario service evaluation, standard stabilization and the concurrent development of hardware and software are key elements to design innovative systems. Emulation, fast prototyping and IP re-use can really help to obtain time-to market solutions. The papers deals with an industrial MPEG/ATM remultiplexing equipment (REMUX) for digital TV applications in the SDVB (switched digital video broadcast) area for either satellite or cable distribution. The paper reports the REMUX development cycle highlighting its fast evolution from the prototype based on an embedded system to the System on Chip realization (0.25 /spl mu/m, ST Microelectronics CMOS technology), mainly focusing on the effective design methodology based on the CSELT intellectual property library (VIP/sup TM/) and system emulation.