Motion vector selection for video encoding

A storage machine holding instructions executable by a logic machine to:

• select a plurality of candidate predicted motion vectors associated with video data to be encoded;
• perform a plurality of motion searches in an image region surrounding each candidate predicted motion vector to produce a plurality of resulting motion vectors, each resulting motion vector having an initial cost score determined using a corresponding candidate predicted motion vector in a rate-distortion function;
• after an actual predicted motion vector, which was previously unavailable when the plurality of candidate predicted motion vectors were selected for the plurality of motion searches, becomes available due to completion of encoding of a block that includes the actual predicted motion vector, re-score the cost score of each resulting motion vector of the plurality of resulting motion vectors to determine an updated cost score for each resulting motion vector by using the actual predicted motion vector in the rate-distortion function calculation;
• and
• encode the video data using a motion vector selected from the plurality of resulting motion vectors based on the updated cost score.

On a computing device, a method for encoding a block of an image frame using a hardware pipelined video encoder, the method comprising:

• selecting a plurality of candidate predicted motion vectors;
• performing a plurality of motion searches in an image region surrounding each candidate predicted motion vector to produce a plurality of resulting motion vectors, each resulting motion vector having an initial cost score determined using a corresponding candidate predicted motion vector;
• selecting from the plurality of resulting motion vectors a subset of motion vectors having a lowest initial cost score as filtered motion vectors;
• after the actual predicted motion vector, which was previously unavailable when the plurality of candidate predicted motion vectors were selected for the plurality of motion searches, becomes available due to completion of encoding of a block that includes the actual predicted motion vector, re-scoring the cost score of each filtered motion vector to determine an updated cost score for each filtered motion vector in the subset by using the actual predicted motion vector;
• and
• encoding the block using a filtered motion vector selected from the filtered motion vectors of the subset based on the updated cost score.