Video pixel line buffers are widely used for data processing in video codecs. Video data may be packed into buffers configured to store a plurality of words, each word comprising a series of bits. The video data may be associated with two or more channels. In order to reduce realization costs, data blocks from two different channels may be packed from opposite sides of a word in the buffer in opposite directions. In some embodiments, data blocks from two or more physical channels may be mapped to two or more virtual channels, the virtual channels having balanced data block sizes. The data blocks associated with the virtual channels may then be packed to one or more buffers.