Patent ID: 7869661

Claim:
An image coding method for dividing a target frame to be coded into macroblocks as processing units, obtaining a difference value between the target frame and a reference frame, and coding the difference value, the image coding method comprising using a processor to perform steps comprising: a still frame judgement step of judging whether or not the target frame to be coded is a still frame that is standing still; and a high image quality coding step of subjecting at least one frame among plural continuous frames, which are judged as still frames in the still frame judgement step, to still frame coding having a higher image quality relative to normal coding for other of the plural continuous still frames, wherein the still frame judgement step performs the judging on the basis of the difference value between the target frame and the reference frame, and wherein the high image quality coding step determines the at least one frame subjected to the still frame coding based on a number of skip macroblocks in a frame prior to the at least one frame among the plural continuous still frames.