Patent ID: 8238427

Claim:
A method of video coding comprising: intra prediction coding at least a predetermined constant M macroblocks within an ordinary frame, said at least said M macroblocks including macroblocks for which a bit cost of intra prediction coding is less than a bit cost of inter prediction coding, and optional additional macroblocks for which the bit cost of intra prediction coding is not less than the bit cost of inter prediction coding selected from a set of optionally intra prediction coded macroblocks having least bit cost of inter prediction coding, said set of optionally intra prediction coded macroblocks for which the bit cost of intra prediction coding is not less than the bit cost of inter prediction coding determined by counting a number of times each corresponding macroblock position is intra prediction coded in a predetermined number of frames, calculating a similarity measure for inter prediction coding of each macroblock in a current frame, adjusting said similarity measure for inter prediction coding for each macroblock in said current frame by adding a product of a penalty factor and a number of times a corresponding macroblock position was intra prediction coded in said predetermined number of prior frames to said calculated similarity measure, selecting M macroblocks having least adjusted similarity measures.