Patent ID: 8442382

Claim:
A stream generation apparatus for generating a stream, the stream including information obtained by coding a command for managing a buffer which holds a decoded picture as a reference picture and pixel data of a first coded picture obtained by coding a specific P picture, the pixel data being decodable by selectively referencing an I picture or a P picture preceding the specific P picture in a decoding order and being defined such that a picture subsequent to the specific P picture in the decoding order does not reference a picture preceding the specific P picture in the decoding order, the stream generation apparatus comprising: a judging unit configured to judge whether or not a second coded picture is a coded picture corresponding to a P picture which is not referenced when the first coded picture is decoded, the second coded picture being added with first information obtained by coding the command; a coding unit configured to code information identical to the command as second information, when the judging unit judges that the second coded picture is the coded picture corresponding to the P picture which is not referenced when the first coded picture is decoded; and a generating unit configured to generate the stream by adding the second information to a third coded picture which is a P picture subsequent to the second coded picture in the decoding order and which corresponds to the P picture to be referenced when the first coded picture is decoded.