Abstract: A video codec is provided. A coded first frame image is decoded and stored. A second frame is coded by referring to the decoded first frame image. The second frame image is not used as a reference image. For this purpose, the second frame image does not pass through a decoding module/decoding process for creating a reference image.

Abstract: Provided are an apparatus and method of encoding a moving picture. An input original video signal is delayed and stored in a memory as a video signal for motion estimation (a video signal of a previous frame). Then, a motion estimation is performed using a video signal of a current frame and the reference image (the video signal of the previous frame). Accordingly, a decoding module/decoding processor for constructing a reference image in an existing encoder is eliminated.