Video encoding apparatus, video decoding apparatus, video encoding method, and video decoding method

Abstract

A video encoding apparatus appends decoding delay and display delay correction information to encoded video data in order to ensure that even when one or more pictures that are later in encoding order than a starting encoded picture in a video data stream to be spliced to a trailing end of another encoded video data stream have been discarded from among pictures contained in the video data stream, the starting encoded picture and its subsequent pictures can be continuously decoded and displayed by a video decoding apparatus. The correction information is calculated based on a decoding interval between each discarded picture and a picture that immediately precedes the discarded picture. The video decoding apparatus corrects the decoding delay and display delay of the starting encoded picture and its subsequent pictures by using the calculated correction information.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A video decoding apparatus for decoding video data encoded by inter-frame predictive coding, comprising:
 a picture decoding time determining unit which analyzes splicing information indicating that the encoded video data has been generated by splicing second encoded video data to a trailing end of first encoded video data, discarded information indicating that one or more encoded pictures that are later in encoding order than a starting encoded picture in the second encoded video data spliced downstream of a splicing point at which the first encoded video data and the second encoded video data are spliced have been discarded, and header information to correct, based on correction information, a decoding delay for a picture that follows the starting encoded picture, and wherein   the header information corresponding to each picture includes type information indicating a type of the picture,   the correction information is determined based on a decoding interval between each picture that is later in decoding order than the starting encoded picture, and that has been discarded from the second encoded video data, and a picture that immediately precedes the discarded picture in decoding order, and   the decoding delay is corrected by using the correction information based on the picture type obtained by analyzing the header information.   
     
     
         2 . The video decoding apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the type of the picture includes at least one of a BLA picture, a DLP picture, a TFD picture, and a TP picture. 
     
     
         3 . The video decoding apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein,
 the type of the starting encoded picture in the second encoded video data is the BLA picture, and when the type of a picture to be decoded in the second encoded video data is other than the BLA picture and the decoding order of the picture to be decoded is later than the BLA picture and earlier than a picture encoded without referring to any other pictures, the decoding delay and the display delay of the picture to be decoded are corrected, on the other hand, when the decoding order of the picture to be decoded is later than the picture encoded without referring to any other pictures, the decoding delay and the display delay of the picture to be decoded is not corrected.   
     
     
         4 . A video decoding method for decoding video data encoded by inter-frame predictive coding, comprising:
 analyzing splicing information indicating that the encoded video data has been generated by splicing second encoded video data to a trailing end of first encoded video data, discarded information indicating that one or more encoded pictures that are later in encoding order than a starting encoded picture in the second encoded video data spliced downstream of a splicing point at which the first encoded video data and the second encoded video data are spliced have been discarded, and header information to correct, based on correction information, a decoding delay for a picture that follows the starting encoded picture, and wherein   the header information corresponding to each picture includes type information indicating a type of the picture,   the correction information is determined based on a decoding interval between each picture that is later in decoding order than the starting encoded picture, and that has been discarded from the second encoded video data, and a picture that immediately precedes the discarded picture in decoding order, and   decoding delay is corrected by using the correction information based on a picture type obtained by analyzing the header information.   
     
     
         5 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a video decoding program for decoding video data encoded by inter-frame predictive coding, causes a computer to execute a process comprising:
 analyzing splicing information indicating that the encoded video data has been generated by splicing second encoded video data to a trailing end of first encoded video data, discarded information indicating that one or more encoded pictures that are later in encoding order than a starting encoded picture in the second encoded video data spliced downstream of a splicing point at which the first encoded video data and the second encoded video data are spliced have been discarded, and header information to correct, based on correction information, a decoding delay for a picture that follows the starting encoded picture, and wherein   the header information corresponding to each picture includes type information indicating a type of the picture,   the correction information is determined based on a decoding interval between each picture that is later in decoding order than the starting encoded picture, and that has been discarded from the second encoded video data, and a picture that immediately precedes the discarded picture in decoding order, and   decoding delay is corrected by using the correction information based on a picture type obtained by analyzing the header information.