Patent ID: 8873633

Claim:
A video encoding method comprising: dividing an input frame into macroblocks; performing motion prediction on the divided macroblocks to generate motion vectors; determining a skip macroblock among the divided macroblocks by selecting the macroblock of which a motion vector is equal to a predictive motion vector predicted using motion vectors of adjacent blocks; dividing the determined skip macroblock into skip sub-blocks; generating predictive motion vectors of the skip sub-blocks by using motion vectors of blocks adjacent to the skip sub-blocks; and encoding the skip macroblock comprising the skip sub-blocks by using the generated predictive motion vectors of each of the skip sub-blocks, wherein the skip sub-blocks are each smaller in size than the determined skip macroblock, wherein the determined skip macroblock is one skip macroblock that is divided into the skip sub-blocks; and wherein the encoding the skip macroblock comprises inserting information indicating whether the skip macroblock is divided into the skip sub-blocks and the predictive motion vectors of the skip sub-blocks which are used as motion vector information, into a bitstream.