Abstract: According to one embodiment, an apparatus codes each line of an image. The apparatus includes a segmentation unit and a coding unit. The segmentation unit is configured to segment the image into a first group including at least a head line and a second group including lines except for the first group. The coding unit is configured to code the first group so that a coding amount of the first group is smaller than a first target coding amount, and to code the second group so that a coding amount of each line of the second group is smaller than a second target coding amount smaller than the first target coding amount.

Abstract: The image coding apparatus is provided to realize image coding with little calculation quantity and through rate distortion optimization thereby maintaining a favorable image quality. The image coding apparatus includes a processing unit that conducts frequency transform and quantization on a block in a predetermined manner for a plurality of coding modes, each mode having a different coding process, a cost calculating unit that calculates a predictive coded quantity and coding distortion in a coding mode using a result of the quantization conducted by the processing unit and a residue to obtain a cost regarding the coding mode, a minimum coding cost selecting unit that selects a minimum coding cost among the coding costs calculated for respective coding modes, and a coding unit that conducts coding on the blocks in a coding mode associated with the minimum coding cost selected by the minimum coding cost selecting unit.

Abstract: To manufacture a thin film compound solar cell which can improve the adhesive property of electrodes even when being provided with a base material, and which prevents the base material from being separated. A cell main body configured by laminating a plurality of compound semiconductor layers is formed on a substrate. A rear surface electrode 7 is formed on the cell main body, and a rear surface film 8 as the base material is formed on the rear surface electrode 7. A reinforcing material 9 is attached on the rear surface film 8. The substrate is separated from the cell main body, and the cell main body is mesa-etched. A surface electrode 13 is formed on a contact layer 3 after the etching. The reinforcing material 9 is separated, and the surface electrode 13 is annealed. The formed thin film compound solar cell is separated into a plurality of solar cell elements.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an image encoding apparatus converts bit depth of an input image formed of a plurality of pixels each having an N bit depth into an (N+M) bit depth larger than N bit depth by M bits. An adaptive bit depth converter converts the bit depth of each pixel of the decoded image of the (N+M) bits into the N bits selectively using one of a plurality of conversion systems. The converted image of the N bit depth is stored in a frame memory as a reference image. The bit depth of each pixel of the reference image of the N bit depth read out from the frame memory is converted into the (N+M) bit depth larger than the N bit depth by M bits in accordance with the conversion system by a pixel bit depth inverse converter.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a moving image/picture encoding apparatus of an embodiment comprises an encoded information acquisition module, an encoding complexity calculation module, an encoding complexity conversion module, and a transcode module. The encoded information acquisition module reads MPEG header information from the input stream to acquire information on a quantization scale, generated bits and a picture type for each frame. The encoding complexity calculation module uses the acquired information to calculate, for each of the frames, encoding complexity represented in a form of the product of the quantization scale and the generated bits. The encoding complexity conversion module uses a linear function prepared for each of the picture types to convert the calculated encoding complexity into encoding complexity of H. 264/AVC. The transcode module uses the converted encoding complexity of H. 264/AVC to transcode the input stream into the output stream.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a moving image/picture encoding apparatus of an embodiment comprises an encoded information acquisition module, an encoding complexity calculation module, an encoding complexity conversion module, and a transcode module. The encoded information acquisition module reads MPEG header information from the input stream to acquire information on a quantization scale, generated bits and a picture type for each frame. The encoding complexity calculation module uses the acquired information to calculate, for each of the frames, encoding complexity represented in a form of the product of the quantization scale and the generated bits. The encoding complexity conversion module uses a linear function prepared for each of the picture types to convert the calculated encoding complexity into encoding complexity of H. 264/AVC. The transcode module uses the converted encoding complexity of H. 264/AVC to transcode the input stream into the output stream.

Abstract: A decoding apparatus having a de-ringing filter to filter image data decoded from encoded image data by orthogonal transformation encoding. In the de-ringing filter, a subtracter generates an absolute value of difference between a value of a filter object pixel and a value of at least one pixel selected from pixels surrounding the filter object pixel on the image data. A comparator compares the absolute value with a threshold. A selector outputs the value of the at least one pixel if the absolute value is less than the threshold, and outputs the value of the filter object pixel if the absolute value is not less than the threshold. A convolution operator convolutes a filter coefficient with the value output from the selector, and outputs a convolution result as a filtered value of the filter object pixel.

Abstract: The image coding apparatus is provided to realize image coding with little calculation quantity and through rate distortion optimization thereby maintaining a favorable image quality. The image coding apparatus includes a processing unit that conducts frequency transform and quantization on a block in a predetermined manner for a plurality of coding modes, each mode having a different coding process, a cost calculating unit that calculates a predictive coded quantity and coding distortion in a coding mode using a result of the quantization conducted by the processing unit and a residue to obtain a cost regarding the coding mode, a minimum coding cost selecting unit that selects a minimum coding cost among the coding costs calculated for respective coding modes, and a coding unit that conducts coding on the blocks in a coding mode associated with the minimum coding cost selected by the minimum coding cost selecting unit.

Abstract: The image coding apparatus is provided to realize image coding with little calculation quantity and through rate distortion optimization thereby maintaining a favorable image quality. The image coding apparatus includes a processing unit that conducts frequency transform and quantization on a block in a predetermined manner for a plurality of coding modes, each mode having a different coding process, a cost calculating unit that calculates a predictive coded quantity and coding distortion in a coding mode using a result of the quantization conducted by the processing unit and a residue to obtain a cost regarding the coding mode, a minimum coding cost selecting unit that selects a minimum coding cost among the coding costs calculated for respective coding modes, and a coding unit that conducts coding on the blocks in a coding mode associated with the minimum coding cost selected by the minimum coding cost selecting unit.

Abstract: A moving picture coding apparatus includes a computing unit configured to compute a distortion robustness indicating degree of imperceptibility of coding distortion in a region to be coded in an input picture, an estimation unit configured to estimate coding distortions based on a first prediction residual of an intra predicted picture, and a second prediction residual of an inter predicted picture, an estimation unit configured to estimate code lengths to be generated when coding the first and second prediction residuals, a computing unit configured to compute coding costs of the first and second prediction residuals by weighted addition of the coding distortions and code lengths so that effect of the code lengths more increases than that of the coding distortions as the distortion robustness increases, a selection unit configured to select one of the first and second prediction residuals for which the coding cost is minimized.

Abstract: A plurality of motion vector candidates is extracted, which includes motion vectors of a first set of blocks and a second set of blocks each adjacent to an object block. The first set of blocks has the same size as the object block. The second set of blocks has a smaller size than the object block. A first predicted motion vector of the object block is selected from the plurality of motion vector candidates. A residual cost of each neighboring motion vector is calculated. Each neighboring motion vector points a point within a predetermined range from a point pointed by the first predicted motion vector. A second predicted motion vector having the minimum residual cost is selected from the plurality of neighboring motion vectors. If the first predicted motion vector is equal to the second predicted motion vector, the first predicted motion vector is set as the motion vector of the object block.

Abstract: An encoding apparatus includes a motion compensator to motion-compensate a reference image to generate a predictive image of an input image, a subtracter to generate a differential signal between the input image and the predictive image, an encoder to encode the differential signal to generate encoded information, a local decoder to local-decode the encoded information to generate a local-decoded differential image, a filter to perform a filtering process of a temporal direction between the local-decoded differential image and the predictive image, an inverse motion compensator to motion-compensate the image provided by the filtering process in an inverse direction with respect to motion compensation of the motion compensator to generate an inverse predictive image, and an updating unit configured to update the reference image by the inverse predictive image.

Abstract: A decoding apparatus having a de-ringing filter to filter image data decoded from encoded image data by orthogonal transformation encoding. In the de-ringing filter, a subtracter generates an absolute value of difference between a value of a filter object pixel and a value of at least one pixel selected from pixels surrounding the filter object pixel on the image data. A comparator compares the absolute value with a threshold. A selector outputs the value of the at least one pixel if the absolute value is less than the threshold, and outputs the value of the filter object pixel if the absolute value is not less than the threshold. A convolution operator convolutes a filter coefficient with the value output from the selector, and outputs a convolution result as a filtered value of the filter object pixel.

Abstract: A video encoding method includes subjecting an input video image to motion compensated temporal filtering using a motion compensated temporal filter to produce a low-pass filtered image, quantizing a transform coefficient of the low-pass filtered image, encoding a quantized transform coefficient, calculating a weight to be given to a low-pass filter coefficient of a low-pass filter of the motion compensated temporal filter according to coarseness of quantization and a magnitude of a motion compensated error, and controlling a high band stopping characteristic of the low-pass filter according to the low-pass filter coefficient weighted by the weight, wherein the controlling controls the high band stopping characteristic of the low-pass filter to provide a positive correlation with respect to the quantization parameter and provide a negative correlation with respect to the magnitude of the motion compensated error.

Abstract: A digital watermark embedding apparatus comprises a digital watermark generating unit which transforms embedding target contents by using a filter having a coefficient with a periodic number sequence to generate a digital watermark, and an embedding unit which superposes the digital watermark on the embedding target contents to generate watermark embedded contents.

Abstract: An interlace image signal is converted to a progressive image signal. It is decided whether each pixel of one of the first field and the second field is in a static area or a moving area. If a pixel of one field is in the static area, pixel data of the pixel of the one field and pixel data of a corresponding pixel of the other field are output as pixel data of the same pixels of an odd number line and an even number line in the progressive image. If a pixel of the one field is in the moving area, interpolated data of the pixel of the one field and interpolated data of a corresponding pixel of the other field are output as pixel data of the same pixels of an odd number line and an even number line in the progressive image. The interpolated data is filtered pixel data along temporal direction and spatial direction.

Abstract: A motion vector detection method includes: a first obtaining unit that obtains similarities of images near a plurality of initial search points with an image of a partial region of a current frame; a setting unit that sets a plurality of subsequent search point candidates based on a gradient of the similarities obtained at the plurality of initial search points respectively; a second obtaining unit that obtains similarities of images near the plurality of search point candidates set thus with the image of the partial region of the current frame; and a detection unit that detects a motion vector for the image of the partial region of the current frame based on a position of one of the plurality of search point candidates providing highest similarity of the similarities obtained for the plurality of search point candidates respectively.

Abstract: A decoding section generates a decoded image and a coding parameter set from a first video coded video sequence. A coding parameter set conversion section first sets the coding structure for a pair of upper and lower macro blocks based on the coding structures of the corresponding macro blocks and converts the remaining parameters such as a motion vector based on the coding structure. A coding parameter set generation section generates coding parameters of an intraframe coding parameter, etc., a coding parameter set selection section selects an optimum parameter set, and a coding section performs recoding processing.

Abstract: A video encoding apparatus comprises a motion vector detector to detect a motion vector of an input picture referring to a reference picture, and a predictive encoder to perform forward predictive encoding and bidirectional predictive encoding using the motion vector and the reference picture, the forward predictive encoder subjecting the macroblock of the forward predictive encoded picture to a variable length encoding in not_coded mode when a correlation between the macroblocks of the forward and bidirectional predictive encoded pictures and the reference picture which are located at the same position is high.

Abstract: A video encoding apparatus comprises a motion vector detector to detect a motion vector of an input picture referring to a reference picture, and a predictive encoder to perform forward predictive encoding and bidirectional predictive encoding using the motion vector and the reference picture, the forward predictive encoder subjecting the macroblock of the forward predictive encoded picture to a variable length encoding in not_coded mode when a correlation between the macroblocks of the forward and bidirectional predictive encoded pictures and the reference picture which are located at the same position is high.