In recent years, demands for a high-resolution and high-quality image have increased in various fields of applications. As an image has a higher resolution and higher quality, an amount of data on the image increases more and more. Accordingly, when video data is transferred using media such as existing wired or wireless broadband lines or video data is stored in existing storage media, the transfer cost and the storage cost of data increase.
In order to effectively transfer, store, and reproduce information on high-resolution and high-quality video, high-efficiency video compressing techniques can be utilized.
In order to enhance video compression efficiency, a method of predicting information of a current block using information of neighboring blocks of the current block without transferring the information of the current block can be used.
Inter prediction and intra prediction can be used as the prediction method.
In the inter prediction, pixel values of a current picture are predicted with reference to information of other pictures. In the intra prediction, pixel values of a current picture are predicted using inter-pixel relationships in the same picture.
When the inter prediction is performed, information indicating a reference picture and information indicating a motion vector from the neighboring blocks in an inter prediction mode can be utilized to designate a part of another picture to be used for the prediction.