VIDEO DECODING METHOD AND DEVICE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide video decoding method and device that can efficiently decode video data with the size of an encoding unit and an encoding mode which are determined to be adapted to the characteristic of pictures.SOLUTION: A video decoding method comprises the steps of: extracting encoding unit size information for determining the size of an encoding unit and the maximum depth specifying a divisible frequency of the encoding unit from a bit stream; determining plural maximum encoding units divided from pictures by using the encoding unit size and the maximum depth; extracting, from the bit stream, division information representing whether the present maximum encoding unit out of the plural maximum encoding units is divided or not; determining, on the basis of at least one of the division information and the encoding unit size information, encoding units of a hierarchical structure containing an encoding unit which cannot be further divided out of encoding units divided from the maximum encoding unit; predicting one or more prediction units determined from the encoding unit which cannot be further divided; and executing inverse transformation on one or more conversion units determined from the encoding unit which cannot be further divided.