Patent ID: 6226327
Filing Date: 2001-05-01
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A picture signal encoding method comprising the steps of:receiving an interlaced signal having frames each containing an odd field and an even field and representing a current picture and at least one other picturefirst evaluating said odd and even fields for said frame representing said current picture to determine how much data is produced if said current picture is encoded by frame-based predictive encoding, said frame-based predictive encoding using only odd field data and even field data from a previously encoded reference picture as a prediction of said current picture;second evaluating said odd and even fields for said frame representing said current picture to determine how much data is produced if said current picture is encoded by field-based predictive encoding, said field-based predictive encoding using only either the odd field data or the even field data from the previously encoded reference picture as the prediction of said current picture;determining whether frame-based prediction encoding or field-based prediction encoding of said current picture produces a lesser quantity of data:selecting said frame-based predictive encoding or said field-based predictive encoding as a function of the predictive encoding that produces said lesser quantity of data; andpredictively encoding said current picture relative to at least one of the other pictures represented by said interlaced signal using the selected one of said frame-based predictive encoding and said field-based predictive encoding.