Abstract: The invention relates to a device for pre-processing video images intended to be coded in the MPEG 2 format. The MPEG 2 standard provides that, mode which exploits the spatial redundancy of the images. The images thus coded then define a succession of groups of images, a group of images being referred to as a GOP. The pre-processing device according to the invention comprises an image memory and an analysis circuit. The image memory makes it possible to store the various images contained in the forecast GOP of rank ok and ax of the first few images contained in the GOP of rank ok+l, ax being an integer greater than or equal to 1. The analysis circuit is linked to the image memory and makes it possible to perform measurements on the images contained therein. The knowledge about the images of the GOP of rank and about the first images of the forecast GOP of rank k+1 which is ascertained following the above mentioned measurements is then used for coding the GOP of rank k.