Abstract: A reference region determination device is for determining a reference region to be stored in a reference image buffer, and includes: a motion vector acquisition portion configured to acquire a motion vector for each one of already encoded blocks; a position change amount derivation portion configured to derive a position change amount for the reference region based on the acquired motion vectors; and a reference region determination portion configured to determine a position of the reference region to be used in encoding of a next block for encoding after the already encoded blocks based on the position change amount.

Abstract: In a decoding apparatus configured to perform decoding processing in parallel using N arithmetic decoding units and M image decoding units on a plurality of slices, each slice being composed of at least one encoding block line, the N arithmetic decoding units start arithmetic decoding processing in sequence at time intervals corresponding to slice sizes on a stream that satisfies a condition that a difference between a total number of encoding block lines included in any N consecutive slices and a total number of encoding block lines included in N consecutive slices different from the any N consecutive slices is 1 or less, and a condition that a code amount of each slice is less than a predetermined upper limit code amount.

Abstract: A coding method is a coding method executed by a coding apparatus. The coding method includes partitioning a first block having a predetermined size in an original image into a group of second blocks each being a block serving as a unit for coding, by quad tree, ternary tree, or binary tree, and predicting movement for each of the second blocks. The partitioning includes first sub-partitioning and second sub-partitioning, the first sub-partitioning includes partitioning the first block into blocks each having a size selected from sizes determined according to the quad tree, the ternary tree, or the binary tree, and the second sub-partitioning includes further partitioning the blocks each having the selected size to generate the second blocks.

Abstract: A coding method encodes an image by dividing the image into blocks, and comprises: dividing a coding target image into a plurality of coding unit blocks; determining whether or not to encode by dividing the coding unit block into a plurality of sub-coding unit blocks, on a basis of an edge direction and an edge strength of an edge obtained for each pixel in the coding unit block; and encoding, in a case of determining to divide the coding unit block into a plurality of sub-coding unit blocks in the determining step, a first sub-coding unit block by referencing a second sub-coding unit block inside the same coding unit block as the first sub-coding unit block.

Abstract: A coding device executes coding having divided an image into blocks, and includes: a candidate obtainment unit that obtains a plurality of provisional motion vector candidates in a coding target block; an evaluation information obtainment unit that obtains a correspondence vector that is a vector having a same direction and a same magnitude as a direction and a magnitude of the obtained provisional motion vector candidates, and evaluation information of a search center indicated by the correspondence vector in a coded block; and a selection unit that, on the basis of the evaluation information, selects, from the plurality of provisional motion vector candidates, a number of motion vector candidates that is lower than the number of the plurality of provisional motion vector candidates.

Abstract: A buffer device stores, in relation to a first area and a second area, which are partial areas respectively located on an identical line of an encoding target frame, and a third area, which is a partial area on the line below the identical line, reference image data for each search range of a reference frame that is referred to during motion search processing executed in order of the first area, the second area, and the third area, the buffer device including a memory for storing the reference image data, and a buffer control unit which, when the motion search processing is executed on the second area, executes control so that among the reference image data included in a first search range that is referred to during the motion search processing of the first area, the reference image data included in a third search range that is referred to during the motion search processing of the third area are left in the memory without being deleted.

Abstract: A reference region determination device is for determining a reference region to be stored in a reference image buffer, and includes: a motion vector acquisition portion configured to acquire a motion vector for each one of already encoded blocks; a position change amount derivation portion configured to derive a position change amount for the reference region based on the acquired motion vectors; and a reference region determination portion configured to determine a position of the reference region to be used in encoding of a next block for encoding after the already encoded blocks based on the position change amount.

Abstract: A coding device executes coding having divided an image into blocks, and includes: a candidate obtainment unit that obtains a plurality of provisional motion vector candidates in a coding target block; an evaluation information obtainment unit that obtains a correspondence vector that is a vector having a same direction and a same magnitude as a direction and a magnitude of the obtained provisional motion vector candidates, and evaluation information of a search center indicated by the correspondence vector in a coded block; and a selection unit that, on the basis of the evaluation information, selects, from the plurality of provisional motion vector candidates, a number of motion vector candidates that is lower than the number of the plurality of provisional motion vector candidates.

Abstract: In a decoding apparatus configured to perform decoding processing in parallel using N arithmetic decoding units and M image decoding units on a plurality of slices, each slice being composed of at least one encoding block line, the N arithmetic decoding units start arithmetic decoding processing in sequence at time intervals corresponding to slice sizes on a stream that satisfies a condition that a difference between a total number of encoding block lines included in any N consecutive slices and a total number of encoding block lines included in N consecutive slices different from the any N consecutive slices is 1 or less, and a condition that a code amount of each slice is less than a predetermined upper limit code amount.

Abstract: A buffer device stores, in relation to a first area and a second area, which are partial areas respectively located on an identical line of an encoding target frame, and a third area, which is a partial area on the line below the identical line, reference image data for each search range of a reference frame that is referred to during motion search processing executed in order of the first area, the second area, and the third area, the buffer device including a memory for storing the reference image data, and a buffer control unit which, when the motion search processing is executed on the second area, executes control so that among the reference image data included in a first search range that is referred to during the motion search processing of the first area, the reference image data included in a third search range that is referred to during the motion search processing of the third area are left in the memory without being deleted.

Abstract: A motion detection portion of a video encoding apparatus conducts motion detection on each of frame macroblocks and field macroblocks to calculate motion vectors and respective detection cost. A motion vector evaluation value calculation portion calculates an evaluation value of the size of motion vectors. A motion vector threshold determination portion compares the evaluation value of the size of motion vectors to a predetermined threshold to determine whether the target area is a moving area or a still area. If the target area is a moving area, it is determined whether frame or field macroblock mode is to be used by comparing the detection costs. If the target area is a still area, it is determined whether frame or field macroblock mode is to be used in accordance with the size of the sum of absolute values of differences between neighboring pixels in a vertical direction regarding the frame macroblock and field macroblock.

Abstract: In motion search using a PE array, a technique is provided for enabling high-speed calculation while avoiding bank conflict without increasing a memory for storing pixels outside the screen. When pieces of pixel data of a plurality of lines to be read from the memory 3 (reference image memory 30) exist in a same bank, the conflict bank anticipatory read control unit 10 reads pixel data of a line in advance, and a read data holding circuit 20 holds the data until timing for inputting to a PE array unit 4. Accordingly, bank conflict can be avoided when reading pixel data from the memory 3, so that smooth pipeline processing by the PE array unit 4 can be realized.

Abstract: A motion detection portion of a video encoding apparatus conducts motion detection on each of frame macroblocks and field macroblocks to calculate motion vectors and respective detection cost. A motion vector evaluation value calculation portion calculates an evaluation value of the size of motion vectors. A motion vector threshold determination portion compares the evaluation value of the size of motion vectors to a predetermined threshold to determine whether the target area is a moving area or a still area. If the target area is a moving area, it is determined whether frame or field macroblock mode is to be used by comparing the detection costs. If the target area is a still area, it is determined whether frame or field macroblock mode is to be used in accordance with the size of the sum of absolute values of differences between neighboring pixels in a vertical direction regarding the frame macroblock and field macroblock.

Abstract: In motion search using a PE array, a technique is provided for enabling high-speed calculation while avoiding bank conflict without increasing a memory for storing pixels outside the screen. When pieces of pixel data of a plurality of lines to be read from the memory 3 (reference image memory 30) exist in a same bank, the conflict bank anticipatory read control unit 10 reads pixel data of a line in advance, and a read data holding circuit 20 holds the data until timing for inputting to a PE array unit 4. Accordingly, bank conflict can be avoided when reading pixel data from the memory 3, so that smooth pipeline processing by the PE array unit 4 can be realized.