Abstract: A video decoding device includes a decoder configured to decode a plurality of separate partial areas of each of pictures included in encoded video data and a motion vector indicating a positional relationship between each of the partial areas and a partial area of a different picture referenced in order to encode the partial area; an error detector configured to detect, as an error area, a partial area that is unable to be decoded by the decoder from among the plurality of partial areas; a referenced area determiner configured to determine a referenced area of a third picture that has already been decoded, the referenced area corresponding to the error area; a concealment unit configured to conceal the error area using data included in the referenced area; and an image integrator configured to reproduce the first picture.

Abstract: A detecting section in an information processing apparatus is configured to detect an event sound from audio, the audio having been recorded when video was shot. The information processing apparatus also includes a calculating section configured to determine an event playback time at which an image associated with the event sound is played back in a video playback time sequence, the video playback time sequence corresponding to a playback speed lower than a shooting speed of the video and a determining section configured to determine a playback start time of the event sound during the video playback time sequence in accordance with the event playback time.

Abstract: A video encoder that encodes each of a plurality of blocks obtained by dividing an input image, includes: a definition unit configured to define a valid area which is allowed to be used as reference in a reference image in interframe coding; a detection unit configured to detect a reference area in the reference image for a target block; a predicted image generation unit configured to generate a predicted image by outputting an image of the reference area for the reference area belonging to the valid area and outputting a complementary image for the reference area not belonging to the valid area; and a coding unit configured to encode the input image using the predicted image, wherein valid area information indicating the valid area is transmitted to a video decoder, for each group of a plurality of blocks.

Abstract: To allow a finer quantization control according to the property of an image within a macroblock, quantization parameter values are allowed to be changed in units of sub-blocks equal to or smaller than the macroblock in a similar manner as in motion compensation and orthogonal transform processes. A finer-tuned quantization control is performed, for example, by selecting fine and coarse quantization parameters respectively for corresponding sub-blocks if a plurality of images having different properties coexist within the macroblock.

Abstract: A moving picture editing apparatus includes a picture extracting unit that extracts pictures of a predetermined range including a picture subsequent to a coupling point from encoded data to be coupled; an adjustment-information generating unit that generates adjustment information for adjusting values of information to be continuous from/to inside to/from outside the predetermined range upon decoding, from among information included in headers of the pictures of the predetermined range extracted by the picture extracting unit; and a re-encoding unit that adds the adjustment information generated by the adjustment-information generating unit to the headers of the pictures of the predetermined range extracted by the picture extracting unit, and re-encodes the pictures of the predetermined range.

Abstract: An encoding apparatus having a direct mode as a prediction mode, when a pixel with opposite parity from a top field to a bottom field, for example, is referred to for obtaining a reference vector in the direct mode, performs correction by adding or subtracting a value corresponding to a half pixel to or from a value of the obtained reference vector. The encoding apparatus, when a pixel with opposite parity is referred to for obtaining a first and a second direct vector by temporally scaling the corrected reference vector, performs correction by adding or subtracting a value corresponding to a half pixel to or from values of the obtained direct vectors.

Abstract: This is an encoding device for compressing/encoding an input video signal. The encoding device comprises a reduction/conversion unit for converting the format of either a luminance component or a chrominance component according to the characteristic of the input video signal and an encoding unit for compressing/encoding the video signal whose format is converted by the reduction/conversion unit to generate encoded data.

Abstract: An encoding circuit (1) encodes an input image. A thinning-out decision unit (2) determines whether or not a picture needs to be thinned out. A dummy picture storage device (4) stores a dummy picture. A dummy picture is encoded data in which all the blocks refer to the same picture, motion vectors of all the blocks are zero, and none of the blocks has prediction residual information. A reference picture selection unit (5) selects a reference picture from among a plurality of referenceable pictures. A header generating unit (7) generates a header to be added to a dummy picture. In the header, the selected reference picture is assigned to an index specifying a reference picture for the dummy picture.

Abstract: An encoding method, which achieves encoding efficiency, and good picture quality encoding even when there exists a picture in which a scene change occurs within an interlaced frame, is provided. A moving pictures encoding method treats a frame of interlaced image input signals as a picture, and performs prediction and encoding for this picture in macro-block units from a picture of both a forward picture, which is temporally in the past, and a backward picture, which is in the future.

Abstract: The apparatus includes: orthogonal transforming means for orthogonally transforming an input video signal for each element block, quantizing means for quantizing each obtained transformation coefficient using a quantization parameter; coding means for coding the quantization parameter; decoded picture generating means for generating a reference picture signal for a motion compensation prediction from the quantized results of the quantizing means; filtering means for filtering the obtained reference picture signal at a strength corresponding to the quantization parameter when a non-zero effective transformation coefficient is present with respect to the element block; and controlling means for controlling at least anyone of transformation coefficients to be not zero, when all of the transformation coefficients are zero.

Abstract: The present invention provides a video coding method which includes, as one of a plurality of coding modes, a direct mode generating a piece of motion information of each of Macro Blocks, which are obtained by dividing a first picture, by predicting from motion information of a coded Macro Block of other plurality of second pictures, including: a first step for selecting the direct mode as the coding mode by using a variable selection criterion; and a second step for coding the Macro Blocks based on the selected coding mode.

Abstract: A motion estimation and compensation device that avoids discrepancies in chrominance components which could be introduced in the process of motion vector estimation. The device has a motion vector estimator for finding motion vectors in given interlace-scanning chrominance-subsampled video signals. The estimator compares each candidate block in a reference picture with a target block in an original picture by using a sum of absolute differences (SAD) in luminance as similarity metric, chooses a best matching candidate block that minimizes the SAD, and determines its displacement relative to the target block. In this process, the estimator gives the SAD of each candidate block an offset determined from the vertical component of a corresponding motion vector, so as to avoid chrominance discrepancies. A motion compensator then produces a predicted picture using such motion vectors and calculates prediction error by subtracting the predicted picture from the original picture.

Abstract: The invention provides a motion vector searcher which includes an inter-block difference arithmetic operation section for calculating and outputting difference amounts between an original image MB and a plurality of search MBs, an additional amount arithmetic operation section for outputting a correction difference amount obtained by adding an additional amount, which relies upon a horizontal component and a vertical component of each of the motion vectors and a state of coding, to each of the difference amounts and for outputting a motion vector based on the motion vector, and a motion vector determination section for determining an optimum motion vector which exhibits the highest one of correlation degrees between the original image MB and the search MBs. With this arrangement, reduction of the information amount of motion vectors is achieved when the compression ratio is high and the transmission rate is low.

Abstract: The invention provides a motion vector searcher which includes an inter-block difference arithmetic operation section for calculating and outputting difference amounts between an original image MB and a plurality of search MBs, an additional amount arithmetic operation section for outputting a correction difference amount obtained by adding an additional amount, which relies upon a horizontal component and a vertical component of each of the motion vectors and a state of coding, to each of the difference amounts and for outputting a motion vector based on the motion vector, and a motion vector determination section for determining an optimum motion vector which exhibits the highest one of correlation degrees between the original image MB and the search MBs. With this arrangement, reduction of the information amount of motion vectors is achieved when the compression ratio is high and the transmission rate is low.

Abstract: An image generation apparatus is provided with an image acquisition unit for acquiring images of a three-dimensional object from a plurality of positions along a curve by computer graphics or a television camera. A memory unit stores images obtained by the image acquisition unit. An address generating unit calculates a first address showing the position of the image acquisition and a second address showing the position corresponding to the direction of the line of sight in the image according to the first address, for each line of sight from a specified viewpoint according to the positional information for the viewpoint and the curve at the time of image acquisition. An image generation processing unit combines the image information read from the memory unit by the first and second addresses generated by the address generating unit and generates the image of the three-dimensional object. Display equipment displays the image.

Abstract: Frequently occurring DCT coefficients F(u, v) are predictable. Accordingly, values f.sub.u,v,F,(u,v) (x, y) for the frequently occurring DCT coefficients are calculated and stored, in advance, in a table. Among input DCT coefficients F(u, v), only non-zero DCT coefficients are processed. It is determined whether or not the table contains values f.sub.u,v,F(u,v) (x, y) for a given non-zero DCT coefficient. If the table contains the values, they are read out of the table, and if not, they are directly calculated. The read or calculated values are added to pixels (x, y), respectively, to provide pixel values (x, y).