Patent ID: 7724830

Claim:
A decoding apparatus for decoding a syntax element value contained in an incoming bitstream encoded by Context-based Adaptive Binary Arithmetic Coding, the decoding apparatus comprising: an arithmetic decoder that arithmetic decodes the incoming bitstream to provide binary signals that have been arithmetic decoded have not been multivalued; a stream converter that inserts a synchronous word indicating a starting position of a multivaluing operation into the binary signals to generate an intermediate bitstream, thereby storing the intermediate bitstream in an intermediate buffer; a synchronization-detecting unit that detects the starting position of the multivaluing operation by detecting the synchronous word from the intermediate bitstream fed out of the intermediate buffer; and a multivaluing operation unit that multivalues the intermediate bitstream fed out of the intermediate buffer in accordance with the staffing position detected by said synchronization-detecting unit, wherein a processing bit amount per unit time processed by said multivaluing operation unit is greater than a processing bit amount per unit time processed by said arithmetic decoder.