A moving picture coding apparatus for performing inter-picture predictive coding for pictures constituting a moving picture is provided with a coding unit for performing predictive error coding for image data; a decoding unit for performing predictive error decoding for an output from the coding unit; a reference picture memory for holding output data from the decoding unit; and a motion vector detection unit for detecting motion vectors on the basis of the decoded image data stored in the memory. When coding a B picture as a target picture, information indicating whether or not the target picture should be used as a reference picture when coding another picture is added as header information. Therefore, in a decoding apparatus for decoding a bit stream Bs outputted from the moving picture coding apparatus, management of a memory for holding the reference picture can be facilitated on the basis of the header information.

Moving picture coding method and moving picture decoding method

A data transmission apparatus for sequentially transmitting data in units of packets each containing transmission data to the receiving end, comprises: a reception unit for receiving the transmission data as an input signal; a packet formation unit for receiving the transmission data received, and forming an uncompressed packet in which predetermined transmission data is stored as uncompressed data, and a compressed packet in which at least a portion of transmission data that follows the predetermined transmission data is compressed and stored as compressed data; a reference information management unit for holding and managing, as reference information, information relating to the uncompressed packet formed by the packet formation unit; and a transmission unit for transmitting the respective packets formed by the packet formation unit, as a transmission signal, to the receiving end. The packet formation unit forms compressed data to be stored in a compressed packet, on the basis of the transmission data of the uncompressed packet and the reference information stored in the reference information management unit. Therefore, the number of packets to be discarded at the receiving end due to an error which has occurred in the radio section is reduced, whereby the quality of data transmitted in the transmission path including the radio section is improved.

Data transmission method, data transmission apparatus, data reception apparatus, and packet data structure

Various techniques and tools for encoding and decoding (e.g., in a video encoder/decoder) binary information (e.g., skipped macroblock information) are described. In some embodiments, the binary information is arranged in a bit plane, and the bit plane is coded at the picture/frame layer. The encoder and decoder process the binary information and, in some embodiments, switch coding modes. For example, the encoder and decoder use normal, row-skip, column-skip, or differential modes, or other and/or additional modes. In some embodiments, the encoder and decoder define a skipped macroblock as a predicted macroblock whose motion is equal to its causally predicted motion and which has zero residual error. In some embodiments, the encoder and decoder use a raw coding mode to allow for low-latency applications.

Skip macroblock coding

Apparatus and methods of using content information for encoding multimedia data are described. A method of processing multimedia data includes classifying content of multimedia data, and encoding the multimedia data in a first data group and in a second data group based on the content classification, wherein the first data group comprises a coefficient and the second data group comprises a first differential refinement associated with the first data group coefficient. An apparatus for using content information for encoding multimedia data includes a content classifying module configured to classify content of multimedia data and provide content classification data, and an encoder configured to encode the multimedia data in a first data group and in a second data group based on the content classification, wherein the first data group comprises a coefficient and the second data group comprises a first differential refinement associated with the first data group coefficient.

Scalability techniques based on content information

Apparatus and methods of using content information for encoding multimedia data are described. A method of processing multimedia data includes obtaining content information of multimedia data, and encoding the multimedia data so as to align a data boundary with a frame boundary in a time domain, wherein said encoding is based on the content information. In another aspect, a method of processing multimedia data includes obtaining a content classification of the multimedia data, and encoding blocks in the multimedia data as intra-coded blocks or inter-coded blocks based on the content classification to increase the error resilience of the encoded multimedia data. Apparatus that can process multimedia data described in these methods are also disclosed.

Methods and device for data alignment with time domain boundary

PURPOSE:To reduce the generation amount of encoded data without degrading the quality of the pictures of a visually important picture area. CONSTITUTION:The pictures indicated by input digital picture signals 101 are divided into plural areas by an area division part 1 and area-divided picture signals 102 are inputted to a hierarchizing part 2 and an encoding part 4. The hierarchizing part 2 performs the classification of the respective areas corresponding to a prescribed standard and outputs class identification signals 103 corresponding to the area for the respective areas and the class identification signals 103 are inputted to the encoding part 4 in synchronism with the picture signals 102 of the corresponding area. In the encoding part 4, while changing encoding control parameters such as an encoding time interval and quantization accuracy, corresponding to the class identification signals 103 for the respective areas, the picture signals 102 are encoded.

Picture encoding device

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain high quality encoding without failure in encoding control even for the instantaneously changing scenes or for images with large amount of movements, and to achieve high efficiency encoding which assesses the characteristics of encoded images from different angles according to the long- term change in complexity of images and to whether there is scene change or not and which suppresses the change in encoding quality. SOLUTION: Multiple image frames are constituted as one group according to the inter-image frames correlativity in image sequence, the encoding mode for each image frame in the group is decided, preliminary encoding was executed based on this encoding mode, and the images are encoded by controlling encoding parameters according to the result of the preliminary encoding and the encoding mode.

Image encoding apparatus and its method and recording medium recording image encoding program

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To edit and distribute a retrieved result list or provided contents through a network corresponding to various kinds of terminals having different throughputs. SOLUTION: User information from terminal equipment is inputted to a user information input part 8, a retrieve key is inputted to a retrieval key input part 7 and a retrieval request signal is inputted to a user request input part 6. On the basis of the retrieval key, a contents retrieving part 10 retrieves a database B and outputs the retrieved result list to a retrieved result list editing part 11. A terminal ability information acquiring part 9 acquires information on the throughput of the terminal equipment from the user information inputted to the user information input part 8, the retrieved result list editing part 11 edits the retrieved result list from the contents retrieving part 10 on the basis of the terminal ability information and on the other hand, an output contents editing part 13 edits the contents on the basis of the terminal ability information and respectively distributes the contents from distributing parts 12 and 14 to the terminal equipment. COPYRIGHT: (C)2001,JPO

Device and method for retrieving and distributing contents

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the generated quantity of encoded data in an image encoding device without deteriorating the image in an image area that is visually important. SOLUTION: In this image encoding device, an area dividing part 1 divides an image shown by an input digital image signal 101 into a plurality of areas. An image signal subjected to area division is inputted to a hierarchizing part 2 and an encoding part 4. The part 2 classifies each area according to a prescribed standard and outputs a class identification signal 104 corresponding to each area. The signal 103 is synchronized with the image signal 102 of a corresponding area and inputted to the part 4. The part 4 encodes the signal 102 while changing an encoding control parameter such as an encoding time interval and quantization accuracy in accordance with the signal 103 for each area.

Image encoding device

PURPOSE: To prevent a picture from the deterioration of resolution by forming an application type pre-filter passing low frequency from a direction minimizing the picture signal level changing degree of the periphery of each picture element and an application type interpolation filter for executing interpolation processing from a direction minimizing the picture signal level changing degree of the periphery of a thinned picture element. CONSTITUTION: The picture signal level changing degree in reapective directions on the two-dimensional array of an input picture signal 3 is observed by the application type pre-filter 31 as to the whole sample and low pass processing is executed from the lowest direction. The filter 31 suppresses a signal component sharply changed in all the directions. A signal 32 is sampled at sub-Nyquist sampling frequency fs/2 by a sub-sampler 6 and outputted as a sub-sample output picture signal 33 deleted by 1/2 thinning. The application type interpolation filter 34 observes the changing degrees in respective directions from the sub- sample output picture signal 33 adjacent to the thinned picture signal and executes interpolation by setting up the sub-sample output picture signal 33 in the lowest direction. The interpolated signal and the signal 33 are alternately selected and a reproduced picture signal 35 having 1/fs Nyquist rate is outputted. COPYRIGHT: (C)1986,JPO&Japio

Murakami Atsumichi

Papers

Picture encoding device

Image encoding apparatus and its method and recording medium recording image encoding program

Device and method for retrieving and distributing contents

Image encoding device

Sampling filter of sub-nyquist