Abstract: An image decoding device and an encoding device include an arithmetic unit for performing arithmetic processing, an arithmetic data storage unit for storing an arithmetic result by the arithmetic unit, an input selection unit for selecting whether to read pixel data that is to be inputted to the arithmetic unit from compressed image data or from pixel data stored in the arithmetic data storage unit, and inputting the read pixel data to the arithmetic unit, and an arithmetic control unit for controlling, based on a transform mode used and the number of arithmetic operations in the arithmetic unit, a destination from which the pixel data that is to be inputted to the arithmetic unit by the input selection unit is read as well as a combination of pieces of pixel data targeted for the arithmetic processing by the arithmetic unit and multiplier coefficients for the arithmetic processing.

Abstract: A computer system for real-time determination of a motion vector comprising an image processor to apply an image processing filter to a normalized frame element of a first image frame, yielding a filtered frame element having associated filtered pixel values, a pixel selector to select a first reference pixel from the filtered frame element having the highest value of the filtered pixel values, an optic flow module to determine a first optic flow applied at a location of the first reference pixel, a pattern matching module to perform pattern matching between the normalized pixel values of the normalized frame element and normalized frame elements of a second image frame, yielding a plurality of pattern matching scores, and a motion vector determiner to determine a motion vector based on a lowest one of the pattern matching scores. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

Abstract: Often hierarchical bi-directionally predicted frame structures are used for encoding a video picture sequence. The frames may consist of interlacing fields. A method for encoding interlaced video, wherein inter-prediction of fields is used and reference lists are assigned to the fields for indicating reference frames or fields, comprises that, if within such reference list a reference to another frame is included, then references to both fields of the other frame are included separately in direct sequence. Further, a temporal level is assigned to each of the frames according to their display order, and for the frames of all except one temporal level the quantization parameter is higher for one type of fields than for the other type of fields.