Abstract: A picture communication apparatus includes an extracting circuit for extracting video data of at least one portion from video data inputted thereto, an encoder for respectively encoding the extracted video data and the remaining video data, and a multiplexer for multiplexing the encoded video data. When encoding the video data, predetermined amount of codes are allocated to the respective video data. This suppresses deterioration in the picture quality when conducting an image communication via a transmission path having a low transmission rate. The transmitted video is displayed on a contoured display.

Abstract: An image signal provided by an image pickup device, such as a CCD, is converted into a video signal by a signal processor. An extraction means extracts a candidate object region from the current video signal and an object region determined a certain time before by a decision means is read from a memory. For example, the decision means compares an overlapping region in which the candidate object region and the object region read from the memory overlap each other and provides a new object region a size larger than the overlapping region and replace the object region with the new object region to update the contents of the memory. On the other hand, a calculating means calculates the features of the object region including the position of the centroid of the object region on a screen.