Patent ID: 8064516

Claim:
A method to encode an image divided into macroblocks, each macroblock including a plurality of luma blocks and a plurality of chroma blocks, wherein each luma and chroma block includes an array of pixels, comprising: determining a maximum variance of luma blocks in a macroblock; determining if said macroblock is in correlation with at least one reference macroblock by computing a correlation between motion vectors of said macroblock and motion vectors of said at least one reference macroblock; quantizing said macroblock using a quantization level based on said maximum variance of said luma blocks and said correlation between said macroblock and said at least one reference macroblock, wherein said quantizing step includes setting a first quantization level for said macroblock if said maximum variance of said luma blocks is greater than a predetermined threshold and said macroblock is in correlation with at least one reference macroblock, and if each of a plurality of reference macroblocks has a maximum variance of its respective luma blocks greater than a predetermined threshold and is in correlation with its at least one respective reference macroblock, otherwise setting a second quantization level for said macroblock, wherein said second quantization level is greater than said first quantization level; and repeating said determining and quantizing steps for each macroblock in said image.