CONTENT ADAPTIVE VIDEO ENCODER AND CODING METHOD

A method of pre-processing a sequence of video picture data comprising I pictures, P pictures and B pictures, where the pictures are arranged as a plurality of Group Of Pictures (GOP) and each of the Group Of Pictures has a first picture and a plurality of Sub Group of Pictures (Sub-GOP). The method uses an analysis of the sequence of video picture data to determine a position of a scene change relative to a position of a start of a new GOP within the sequence of video picture data and then moves the start of the new GOP to coincide with the scene change by extending or decreasing a current GOP length according to whether the scene change and the start of a new GOP are within a predetermined number of pictures of each other. An apparatus for carrying out the method is also provided.