Patent ID: 6108039
Filing Date: 2000-08-22
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A method for performing motion estimation on a sequence of video pictures comprising the steps of:(a) processing a reference picture to generate first, second and third pictures, said first picture having a lower resolution than said second picture and said second picture having a lower resolution than said third picture,(b) using independent starting positions, performing firs and second stage field motion estimation searches using said first and second pictures, respectively, to obtain a first field motion vector candidate and a second field motion vector candidate in said first and second stages, respectively,(c) using at least one of said first and second field motion vector candidates as a starting position and said third picture, performing a third stage field motion estimation search to obtain a third field motion vector candidate, and(d) performing plural stages of frame motion estimation searches, of a hierarchical frame motion estimation search, using difference resolution versions of a reference frame, including two of said first, second and third reference pictures;wherein at each stage of said hierarchical frame motion estimation search for a given to-be-encoded frame macroblock, only one initial starting position is searched for each possible frame motion vector in each reference frame.