Patent ID: 8891613

Claim:
An image encoding method for encoding pictures into an encoded sequence, the image encoding method comprising: writing, into a sequence header, (i) buffer descriptions, each of the buffer descriptions specifying reference pictures to be held in a buffer for encoding the pictures and (ii) reference list descriptions which correspond one-to-one with the buffer descriptions, each of the reference list descriptions indicating a correspondence relationship between one of the reference pictures that is specified by a corresponding one of the buffer descriptions and an index for identifying the reference picture; writing, into a header of one of slices in one of the pictures, selecting information indicating one of the buffer descriptions; and (i) specifying one of the reference pictures held in the buffer using the buffer description indicated by the selecting information, (ii) encoding the one of the slices using the specified reference picture, and (iii) writing, into the encoded sequence, the encoded slice and the index that identifies the specified reference picture in the reference list description that corresponds to the buffer description indicated by the selecting information, wherein syntax elements included in the sequence header are applied to all of the pictures in the encoded sequence, the syntax elements included in the sequence header including the buffer descriptions and the reference list descriptions, and wherein syntax elements included in a header of each of the slices are applied to all blocks in the slice, the syntax elements included in the header of the one of the slices including the selecting information.