Patent ID: 6912584

Claim:
In a video decoder, a method of decoding video data streamed in encoded form over a network characterized by variable available bandwidth and latency, the method comprising: parsing part of a bitstream to determine a type value for a unit of video data in one video image, wherein the type value is one of plural possible type values including an intra type value, a first single-unit single-reference inter-prediction type value, and a second single-unit single-reference inter-prediction type value; when the type value for the unit is the intra type value, decoding at least some of the video data for the unit using an intra decoding mode including intra decoding; when the type value for the unit is the first single-unit single-reference inter-prediction type value, decoding at least some of the video data for the unit using a first inter decoding mode that favors quality at the expense of decoding flexibility for a given bitrate, wherein the decoder uses at most one motion vector and one reference identifier per block in the first inter decoding mode; and when the type value for the unit is the second single-unit single-reference inter-prediction type value, decoding at least some of the video data for the unit using a second inter decoding mode different than the first inter decoding mode, wherein the second inter decoding mode favors decoding flexibility at the expense of quality for the given bitrate, and wherein the decoder also uses at most one motion vector and one reference identifier per block in the second inter decoding mode; thereby enabling the decoder to select between the second inter decoding mode and the first inter decoding mode during decoding.