Video encoding apparatus and video encoding method that perform filtering operation during video encoding process

A video encoding method, comprising:

• performing, by an integer-pel motion estimation circuit, an integer-pel motion estimation operation on an original image data, wherein a first motion vector, an error value and a co-located error value of a current block are generated by the integer-pel motion estimation circuit during the integer-pel motion estimation operation, the error value corresponds to the first motion vector, and the co-located error value is a difference between the current block in a current frame and a co-located block in a reference frame;
• receiving, by a temporal noise reduction circuit that is coupled to the integer-pel motion estimation circuit, the first motion vector, the error value and the co-located error value of the current block from the integer-pel motion estimation circuit;
• performing, by the temporal noise reduction circuit, a temporal filtering process on the current block in the original image data by using the first motion vector, the error value and the co-located error value of the current block in the current frame to obtain a denoised image data;
• receiving, by a fractional-pel motion estimation circuit that is coupled to the temporal noise reduction circuit, the denoised image data, the first motion vector, the error value and the co-located error value;
• performing, by the fractional-pel motion estimation circuit, a fractional-pel motion estimation operation on the denoised image data to at least produce a second motion vector of the current block according to the first motion vector, the error value and the co-located error value;
• and
• receiving the second motion vector and performing a video encoding operation by an encoding circuit that is coupled to the fractional-pel motion estimation circuit.