IMAGE ENCODER, IMAGE ENCODING METHOD, AND PROGRAM OF THE SAME

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To transmit or accumulate multi-viewpoint images efficiently.

SOLUTION: An image signal encoder 107 encodes a plurality of images respectively made from a plurality of different visual points to generate image encoded data. A depth information encoder (for example, a depth signal encoder 108) encodes depth information indicative of a depth of a specific space from at least one or more visual points to generate depth information encoded data. A determiner 120 determines whether depth information from a certain visual point is made applicable to encoding or not. A unitization portion 109 generates an encoded stream containing the image encoded data generated by the image signal encoder 107 and the depth information encoded data where depth information determined as an object for encoding by the determiner 120 is encoded by the depth information encoder.

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