Selectively retaining high-resolution segments of continuous video data stream

A system for processing video data, the system comprising:

• a memory;
• and
• a processing unit communicatively coupled with the memory, wherein the system performs a method comprising:
• receiving an indication of multiple types of image elements of interest, the multiple types of image elements of interest being prespecified by a user;
• receiving a continuous video data stream, the continuous video data stream being a high-resolution video data stream;
• automatically processing the continuous video data stream to facilitate storage of the continuous video data stream, the automatically processing comprising:
• analyzing, by a processor, the continuous video data stream for any of the multiple user prespecified types of image elements within the continuous video data stream;
• automatically identifying, by the processor, at least one image element of the multiple user prespecified types of image elements in the continuous video data stream;
• based on the identifying, passing through unfiltered one or more video frames of the continuous video data stream as high-resolution video, the one or more video frames containing the identified at least one image element of the multiple user prespecified types of image elements;
• and
• reducing, by filtering, resolution of other portions of the continuous video data stream other than the one or more video frames to low-resolution video, wherein low-resolution video includes less data than high-resolution video.

A computer program product for processing a video data stream, the computer program product comprising:

• a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium readable by a processing unit and storing instructions for execution by the processing unit for performing a method comprising:
• receiving an indication of multiple types of image elements of interest, the multiple types of image elements of interest being prespecified by a user;
• receiving a continuous video data stream, the continuous video data stream being a high-resolution video data stream;
• automatically processing the continuous video data stream to facilitate storage of the continuous video data stream, the automatically processing comprising:
• analyzing, by a processor, the continuous video data stream for any of the multiple user prespecified types of image elements within the continuous video data stream;
• automatically identifying, by the processor, at least one image element of the multiple user prespecified types of image elements in the continuous video data stream;
• based on the identifying, passing through unfiltered one or more video frames of the continuous video data stream as high-resolution video, the one or more video frames containing the identified at least one image element of the multiple user prespecified types of image elements;
• and
• reducing, by filtering, resolution of other portions of the continuous video data stream other than the one or more video frames to low-resolution video, wherein low-resolution video includes less data than high-resolution video.