Patent ID: 7936817

Claim:
A video encoder comprising: an intra-mode encoding unit for performing a block-based intra-mode encoding for at least a first portion of a video signal, said intra-mode encoding unit performing field based intra-mode encoding or frame based intra-mode encoding for the first portion of the video signal in a field-based signal or a frame-based signal, thereby producing an intra-field or an intra-frame; a predictive-mode encoding unit for performing a block-based predictive-mode encoding for at least a second portion of the video signal, said predictive-mode encoding unit performing frame based predictive-mode encoding or field based predictive-mode encoding for the second portion of the video signal in a field-based signal or a frame-based signal, thereby producing a predictive-field or a predictive-frame; and a selection unit for selecting a reference field or a reference frame used for performing predictive-mode encoding, said selection unit selecting said intra-field or said predictive-field as said reference field when said predictive-mode encoding unit performs field based predictive-mode encoding, said selection unit selecting said intra-frame or said predictive-frame as said reference frame when said predictive-mode encoding unit performs frame based predictive-mode encoding; wherein said predictive-field or said predictive-frame may contain an intra-block that has been encoded by the intra-mode encoding, and said intra-mode encoding unit generates a predetermined signal for each intra-block within said predictive-field or said predictive-frame.