Image coding apparatus, image coding method, image coding integrated circuit, and camera

摘要

An image coding apparatus includes a reference index assignment unit that assigns reference indices to reference pictures which can be referred to by a current picture to be coded, each of the reference indices having a different value and being assigned to a corresponding one of the plural reference pictures. An image coding unit performs field-coding on the current picture to be coded, by referring to the reference pictures indicated by the reference indices assigned by the reference index assignment unit, and codes the reference indices. The reference index assignment unit assigns, to one of two reference pictures included in the plural reference pictures, a reference index having a value smaller than a value of a reference index to be assigned to the other reference picture. One of the two reference pictures is temporally closer to the current picture to be coded.