Patent ID: 8526495

Claim:
A method of video processing for a video encoder, the method comprising: receiving video data corresponding to a 2N×2N leaf CU (coding unit) at depth k, wherein N is a first integer greater than 0 and k is a second integer greater than or equal to 0; partitioning the video data corresponding to the 2N×2N leaf CU into a set of PUs (prediction units) according to a prediction mode of the 2N×2N leaf CU, wherein the set includes N×N partition size and the prediction mode includes an INTER mode and an INTRA mode; removing the N×N partition size for the prediction mode if the 2N×2N leaf CU is larger than SCU (smallest CU), wherein a constrained set of PUs is formed when the partition size is removed; and applying prediction on the video data according to the prediction mode to generate residue data, wherein said applying prediction on the video data is based on the set of PUs if the 2N×2N leaf CU corresponds to the SCU and said applying prediction on the video data is based on the set of constrained PUs if the 2N×2N leaf CU is larger than the SCU.