Patent ID: 8054880

Claim:
A method of operating a multi-channel video encoder having a plurality of dual pass, multi-processor single channel encoders, each single channel encoder sharing a common video clock and having a 1st pass encoder and a 2nd pass encoder, and the method comprising: for each of the plurality of dual pass, multi-processor single channel encoders: receiving an unencoded, single program video stream including a plurality of sequential pictures and an embedded video clock, creating a copy of the unencoded, single program video stream, storing the unencoded, single program video stream, modifying the embedded video clock of the copy to synchronize it with the common video clock, and performing first pass encoding on the copy, thereby generating complexity statistics for the copy, determining a preferred target size for pictures of each of the unencoded single program video streams by operating on the complexity statistics, for each of the plurality of dual pass, multi-processor single channel encoders: performing 2nd pass encoding on the unencoded single program video stream using the preferred target size as an input to generate an encoded single program video stream, multiplexing the plurality of encoded single program video streams together into a multi-program transport stream, and transmitting the multi-program transport stream.