Patent ID: 8311115

Claim:
A method of processing raw video content input for encoding into multi bit rate video, the method comprising: receiving raw video content for encoding as compressed video bit streams at a succession of progressively lower bit rates; encoding an initial compressed video bit stream at a highest bit rate, said encoding the initial compressed video bit stream producing motion information for encoding of inter frame pictures of the video; for encoding subsequent compressed video bit streams at the progressively lower bit rates, passing the motion information produced from encoding a preceding compressed video bit stream to the encoding of the subsequent compressed video bit stream; determining whether a condition based on the video encoding parameters for the subsequent compressed video bit stream is met; if said condition is met, encoding the subsequent compressed video bit stream wherein inter frames of the subsequent compressed video bit stream are encoded using the motion information passed from encoding the preceding compressed video bit stream; and if said condition is not met, producing new motion information by performing motion estimation based on reconstructed reference frames of the subsequent compressed video bit stream, and encoding the subsequent compressed video bit stream wherein inter frames of the subsequent compressed video bit stream are encoded using the new motion information; and producing an output multi bit rate video comprising the initial and subsequent compressed video bit streams.