Importance

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Abstract

The invention provides an encoding apparatus capable of encoding an image signal in a scalable fashion and also provides a decoding apparatus corresponding to the encoding apparatus. In particular, the invention provides an image signal encoding apparatus for encoding a plurality of image signals, wherein at least one of the plurality of image signals is an image signal representing a moving image object, and the plurality of image signals are encoded together with a signal used to combine the image signal representing the moving image object with other image signals. The encoded signal is decoded by the decoding apparatus according to the invention. The invention is characterized in that the apparatus includes: an image supplier for supplying a base layer image signal and an enhancement layer image signal scalably representing the image signal of the moving image object; an enhancement layer encoder for encoding the enhancement layer image signal thereby generating an encoded enhancement layer signal; and a base layer encoder for encoding the base layer image signal thereby generating an encoded base layer signal. In the above encoding process, a reference image signal used to calculate a motion vector of the enhancement layer image signal to be encoded is generated by replacing the values of pixels outside the image object of the enhancement layer image signal with the values of predetermined pixels of the base layer image signal.

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First Claim