Feedback is introduced between a video CODEC and the intended communications channel such that the characteristics of the channel are used to drive multiple video output buffers. These multiple output buffers share an original temporal video reference, but have different subsequent temporal video images. The communications channel interface then picks the subsequent video image buffer that best matches the current conditions experienced by it. By using a predictor of the channel performance, the video algorithm can be tuned to provide video output buffers with the best guess of how the buffers should be configured. A number of subsequent histories of an image are buffered until the receiving channel indicates it is ready to receive the next. Then the appropriate output buffer having the corresponding temporal change in the video is used to supply the next frame change information to the receiving station.