A method for encoding a video signal includes estimating a space requirement for encoding a tile of a video frame, writing a first value in a first value space of the bitstream, wherein the first value describes a size of a second value space, and defining the second value space in the bitstream, wherein the size of the second value space is based on an estimated space requirement. The method also includes writing encoded content in a content space of the bitstream, determining a size of the content space subsequent to writing encoded content in the content space, and writing a second value in the second value space of the bitstream, wherein the second value describes the size of the content space.