Patent ID: 8144776

Claim:
A video coding method, performed by a computer, which includes, as one of a plurality of coding modes, a direct mode generating a piece of motion information of each of Macro Blocks, which are obtained by dividing a first picture, by predicting from motion information of a coded Macro Block of other plurality of second pictures, including: a first step for selecting the direct mode as the coding mode by using a variable selection criterion; and a second step for coding the Macro Blocks based on the selected coding mode, wherein, in the case that said direct mode is a temporal direct mode which generates two direct vectors originating from said Macro Block, as said motion information, by dividing a mvCol originating from and terminating at coded two Macro Blocks in a plurality of said second pictures corresponding to the Macro Block proportionally by a time interval between said first picture and each of the second pictures, that each of said picture is constituted by a first and a second fields, and that said second step carries out a coding of the field as one picture, said first step changes the mvCol by changing the second picture (ColPic) as the target of a reference if the second field of the second picture becomes the origination point of the mvCol.