Constant rate factor video encoding control

A method of computing encoding parameters for an encoding of an input video is described. The method may be seen as a form of constant rate factor (CRF) control for a multi-layer coding scheme. Two modes for constant rate factor control are described. In a "charging" mode, an encoding quality factor is selectively modulated based on characteristics of the input video, the characteristic being a ratio of static to non-static image portions in a current frame of video data. In an "accurate" mode, an encoding quality factor is selectively recomputed based on encoding parameters. This is done by comparing an encoding bit rate metric to a threshold and detecting a change in video complexity. Based on the results of this comparison the encoding quality factor is recomputed and the current frame of data re-encoded using the recomputed quality factor.