Patent ID: 8665945

Claim:
An encoding method, implemented by an encoder, comprising: (A) a step of performing, by circuitry of the encoder, a prediction analysis of time-series signals to generate prediction residuals expressed by integers; (B) a step of setting an integer separation parameter corresponding to magnitude of the prediction residuals for each certain time segment; and (C) a step of selecting a side information code table from a set of side information code tables including a side information code table used for variable length coding of side information corresponding to the separation parameter, based on a determination criterion corresponding to an index representing a prediction effectiveness of the time-series signals, wherein each of the side information code tables is a code table in which side information is associated with a code assigned to side information, amplitude of a separation parameter corresponding to side information associated with a code having shortest code length in a first side information code table is equal to or smaller than amplitude of a separation parameter corresponding to side information associated with a code having shortest code length in a second side information code table, and the first side information code table is the side information code table selected in the step (C) when the index representing the prediction effectiveness is a first value, and the second side information code table is the side information code table selected in the step (C) when the index representing the prediction effectiveness is a second value greater than the first value.