A motion compensation module, that can be used in a video encoder for encoding a video input signal, includes a motion search module that generates a motion search motion vector for each macroblock of a plurality of macroblocks by contemporaneously evaluating a top frame macroblock and bottom frame macroblock from a frame of the video input signal and a top field macroblock and a bottom field macroblock from corresponding fields of the video input signal. A motion refinement module, when enabled, generates a refined motion vector for each macroblock of the plurality of macroblocks, based on the motion search motion vector.