Patent ID: 6621868
Filing Date: 2003-09-16
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A video communication method wherein the sending side encodes the input pictures by the inter-frame prediction encoding method, sends this encoded data to the receiving side, and the receiving side decodes the encoded data sent from the sending side making a previously encoded picture the reference picture, and wherein the receiving side is characterized in having:a picture designation data receiving step which receives picture designation data designating the pictures encoded at said sending side; a reference picture designation data receiving step which receives the reference picture designation data designating the reference picture that said sending side will use when encoding; a reference picture switching step which switches the picture designated by the received reference picture designation data to the reference picture; a decoding step which decodes said received encoded data using this switched reference picture; a reference picture storage determination step which determines whether or not to store the picture data decoded by said decoding step as a new reference picture based on said reference picture designation data and a picture designation data which designates a picture stored as said reference picture; a reference picture storage step which stores only the decoded picture whose storage is determined in said reference picture storage determination step; and a reference picture designation step which designates to the sending side said stored picture as the picture to be used as the reference picture when said sending side is encoding.