Patent ID: 8514938

Claim:
A picture coding apparatus which codes pictures, comprising: a picture coder configured to code each picture according to a picture type of the picture; a first coder configured to code first supplementary information included in a random accesser including coded pictures and indicating respective picture types of the coded pictures in a decoding order of the coded pictures; a second coder configured to code second supplementary information included in the random accesser and indicating respective pieces of picture structure information of the coded pictures in the decoding order; a third coder configured to code stuffing bits in the random accesser; a writer configured to write, at a position prior to a starting picture in the random accesser, the first supplementary information coded by said first coder, the second supplementary information coded by said second coder, and the stuffing bits coded by said third coder; an audio coder configured to code audio data; and a multiplexer configured to multiplex coded audio data and coded information written in the random accesser, and to generate a transport stream, wherein the respective picture types of the coded pictures include at least an I picture on which intra-prediction coding is performed, a P picture on which inter-prediction coding is performed with reference to one picture, a B picture on which inter-prediction coding is performed with reference to two pictures, and a Skipped picture which is to be displayed with an image of a reference picture positioned immediately prior to a target picture in the coded pictures in the decoding order, the picture structure information of each of the coded pictures includes information indicating whether each of the coded pictures is to be displayed as a three-field image or a two-field image at a 3:2 pulldown, and Skipped pictures are sequentially arranged in the decoding order to form a still picture sequence.