Abstract: A method for coding a digital moving video including gray scale shape information. Picture-unit overhead information is first transmitted and it is then determined whether a video packet to be coded is a first packet of a given picture. A video packet header including overhead information for the decoding of the gray scale shape information is transmitted if the video packet is not the first packet of the given picture. Then, it is determined whether the given picture is an intra picture. If the given picture is the intra picture, the video packet is coded and transmitted in an intra picture mode. If the given picture is not the intra picture, the video packet is coded and transmitted in an inter picture mode. If the video packet is not a last packet of the given picture, a digital moving video coding operation is performed repeatedly. The digital moving video coding operation is ended if the video packet is the last packet of the given picture.

Abstract: An improved video information coding method for an object boundary block merging/splitting technique which makes it possible to use an object boundary block merging and a merging/separation as a reverse process thereof which are capable of enhancing a coding efficiency by using a space surplus of an intra-video and inter-video which exist in a block or a neighboring block by merging, coding and transmitting the BBM. The method includes the steps of merging a plurality of object boundary objects, judging whether there is an overlapped block signal among the block signals using shape information of the object boundary blocks, and merging the blocks in which no overlapped pixels exist as a result of the judgement.

Abstract: A device for coding image information, which is a shape encoder for splitting an image transferred from an image input into an object image and a background image that have predetermined shape information, includes: a boundary block merge block for merging boundary blocks including both the object and background images out of shape information received, by using a boundary block merge technique; a variable length coding block for variable-length-coding the merged boundary blocks received from the boundary block merge block; and a variable length coding table memory for storing variable length coding tables which are used when the merged boundary blocks are variable-length-coded by the variable length coding block.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for predictively coding shape information of a video signal. An error between the current shape information and the previous shape information is obtained through the comparison therebetween. If the obtained error is greater than or equal to a predetermined reference value, the current shape information is coded. However, in the case where the obtained error is smaller than the predetermined reference value, the current shape information is reconstructed using the previous shape information. Therefore, a time-axis redundancy of the shape information is removed to prevent the transmission of unnecessary information, resulting in an increase in compression coding efficiency.

Abstract: Provided is a gray scale shape data encoder in shape data coding devices, including: video signal generating device for receiving a video signal, extracting and outputting shape data; transparency data extracting device for receiving the shape data from the shape data extracting device, extracting and outputting transparency data; boundary block merging device for receiving the transparency data output from the transparency data extracting device, performing a boundary block merging, and outputting the merged signal; transparency data coding device for receiving the transparency data merged in the boundary block merging device, coding and outputting them; supporting device for receiving the shape data from the shape data extracting device and extracting binary shape data; binary shape data coding device for receiving binary shape data from the supporting device, coding and outputting them; and binary shape data decoding device for receiving the coded binary shape data from the binary shape data decoding devic

Abstract: A method of coding/decoding image information is derived to perform a boundary block merge of the macro blocks of the image information and copy the DCT coefficients of a block that is converted to an exterior block from a boundary one out of left-sided and upper-sided blocks for the use purpose in performing a prediction of the DCT coefficients of the block's sub blocks, thus enhancing the efficiency of a coding/decoding process.

Abstract: A device for coding/decoding image information is provided to perform a boundary block merge of macro blocks of image information. Further, the DCT coefficients of a block are copied, if that is converted to an exterior block from a boundary block out of left-sided and upper-sided blocks for the purpose of performing a prediction of the DCT coefficients of the block's sub blocks. Thus, the efficiency of a coding/decoding process is enhanced.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for predictively coding a contour of a video signal. An error between the current contour and the previous contour is obtained through the comparison therebetween. If the obtained error is greater than or equal to a predetermined reference value, the current contour is coded. However, in the case where the obtained error is smaller than the predetermined reference value, only a signal indicative of the reconstruction of the current contour using the previous contour is transmitted to a decoder. Therefore, the transmission of unnecessary information is prevented to enhance the compression coding efficiency.