Patent ID: 8184707

Claim:
An encoder for encoding data for pictures captured at different viewpoints in a multi-view video, wherein, when a first picture at one of a first viewpoint and a last viewpoint is encoded into an I picture, the encoder encodes a second picture, which is captured at the other one of the first viewpoint and the last viewpoint but is disposed in the same time direction as that in which the first picture is disposed, into an I/P picture, wherein the encoder predicts a third picture, which is spatially disposed between the I picture and the I/P picture, in both directions from the I picture and the I/P picture, and encodes the third picture into a primary B picture having a priority level 0, wherein the encoder predicts a fourth picture, which is spatially disposed between the primary B picture and the I picture in the same time direction, in both directions from the primary B picture and the I picture, or predicts a fifth picture, which is spatially disposed between the primary B picture and the I/P picture in the same time direction, in both directions from the primary B picture and the I/P picture, and encodes the fourth or fifth picture into a secondary B picture having a priority level 1 that has lower priority than the priority level 0, wherein, when a sixth picture, which is at one of the first viewpoint and the last viewpoint and in a different time direction from the first picture, is encoded into an m-ary B picture having a priority level (m−1), the encoder encodes a seventh picture, which is captured at the other one of the first viewpoint and the last viewpoint but is disposed in the same time direction as that in which the sixth picture is disposed, into an m-ary B picture, wherein the encoder encodes an eighth picture, which is spatially disposed between the two m-ary B pictures in the same time direction, into an n-ary B picture having a priority level (n−1), wherein the encoder encodes a ninth picture, which is spatially disposed between any of the two m-ary B pictures and the n-ary B picture in the same time direction, into an o-ary B picture having a priority level (o−1), and wherein m, n, and o are positive integers and satisfy 1≦m<n<o.