Patent ID: 8548064

Claim:
A video encoding method for encoding video images as a single video image by using parallax compensation which performs prediction by using parallax between the video images, the method comprising: a parallax-parameter number setting step of selecting and setting a parameter number which indicates the number of parameters corresponding to the dimension of a parallax vector as parallax data used for the parallax compensation of the video images to be encoded using reference images; a parallax-parameter number data encoding step of encoding data of the parameter number set in the parallax-parameter number setting step; and a parallax data encoding step of encoding the parallax data corresponding to the number of parameters, wherein: values of the parameter number settable in the parallax-parameter number setting step include: a first parameter number which indicates a mode in which each parallax for a reference image assigned to each camera by which the reference image is obtained is generated using predetermined common parallax data between the reference images; and a second parameter number which indicates a mode in which each parallax for a reference image assigned to each camera by which the reference image is obtained is set using individual parallax data assigned to the camera; when the first parameter number is selected, a predicted image is generated based on the parallax for the reference image assigned to each camera, the parallax being generated using the common parallax data, and on pixel values of the relevant reference images, and in the parallax data encoding step, only the common parallax data is encoded; and when the second parameter number is selected, a predicted image is generated based on the individual parallax data for indicating each parallax for the corresponding reference image and on pixel values of the relevant reference images, and in the parallax data encoding step, the individual parallax data for indicating each parallax is encoded, wherein the common parallax data, used when the first parameter number is selected, is parallax data with respect to a predetermined camera, wherein the individual parallax data, used when the second parameter number is selected, includes data using a two-dimensional vector (d x , d y ) where d x , d y is within the range of −P to +P where P is the parallax of pixels between the cameras, and wherein the predetermined common parallax data is a one-dimensional parallax vector d x , where d x is within the range of 0 to P, and which indicates the position on the Epipolar line for the predetermined camera by using a single parameter.