Abstract: Provided are moving picture encoding apparatus and method skipping intra prediction in encoding mode determination using rate-distortion (RD) costs and determining an encoding mode at high speed. The moving picture encoding method includes the steps of: setting the lowest one of rate-distortion costs of macroblocks adjacent to a macroblock to be encoded as a threshold value; setting the lowest one of mode-specific distortion costs obtained by inter prediction for the macroblock to be encoded as an optimum inter mode distortion cost; comparing the threshold value with the optimum inter mode distortion cost; and when the threshold value is larger than the optimum inter mode distortion cost, as a result of the comparison, skipping intra prediction and setting a mode having the optimum inter mode distortion cost as a final encoding mode.

Abstract: A device for eliminating a block artifact phenomenon of a decoded image frame, and an eliminating method thereof. A method for eliminating a block artifact phenomenon according to the present invention includes: extracting pixel information including a magnitude of edge response, an edge direction, and an edge position, by applying an edge detector to an arbitrary pixel in an image frame; distinguishing the pixel into a non-edge pixel, an object edge pixel, or a block edge pixel by using the extracted pixel information; and performing filtering according to the distinguishing result. In this manner, an object edge information is selectively protected, so that an improved image quality may be provided.