Techniques are disclosed for improved video coding with virtual reference frames. A motion vector for prediction of a pixel block from a reference may be constrained based on the reference. In as aspect, if the reference is a temporally interpolated virtual reference frame with corresponding time close to the time of the current pixel block, the motion vector for prediction may be constrained magnitude and/or precision. In another aspect, a bitstream syntax for encoding the constrained motion vector may also be constrained. In this manner, the techniques proposed herein contribute to improved coding efficiencies.