Patent ID: 8737482

Claim:
An information processing apparatus comprising: an encoder configured to encode a moving picture signal, wherein the encoder is configured to: generate a prediction signal by use of one of a plurality of types of inter-prediction modes having different block sizes set as a processing unit for macro blocks obtained by dividing a to-be-encoded screen picture, the one of the plurality of types of inter-prediction modes being an optimum type of inter-prediction mode; orthogonal transform a prediction residual signal by use of one of a plurality of types of discrete cosine transformations (DCT) using different block sizes as a processing unit, wherein the prediction residual signal is obtained by subtracting the prediction signal from a picture signal of the macro block, and wherein the one of the plurality of types of DCTs is an optimum DCT; and determine a combination of the optimum inter-prediction mode used to generate the prediction signal and the optimum DCT used to orthogonal transform the prediction residual signal for each macro block, wherein the determining the combination comprises: calculating first costs associated with each of the plurality of types of inter-prediction modes in combination with each of one or more specified DCTs, a number of the one or more specified types of DCTs being less than the total number of the plurality of types of DCTs, selecting a preset number of types of inter-prediction modes from the plurality of types of inter-prediction modes based on the calculated first costs, the preset number being less than a total number of the plurality of types of inter-prediction modes, calculating second costs associated each of the selected preset number of types of prediction modes in combination with each of the plurality of types of DCTs, and selecting one of the selected preset number of types of inter-prediction modes as the optimum inter-prediction mode and one of the plurality of types of DCTs as the optimum DCT based on the calculated second costs.