MULTIPLEXER, MULTIPLEXING METHOD, IMAGE DECODER AND IMAGE DECODING METHOD

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable to reproduce a coded bit stream even on the way of the stream. SOLUTION: A high-order header multiplexer selection section 27 selects whether or not each of headers VOS (Visual Object Sequence), VO (Visual Object), and VOL (Video Object Layer) is multiplexed on the basis of a high- order header multiplexing instruction flag 24 according to settings of a user or the like. When high-order header multiplexing instruction flag 24 indicates effectiveness, the high-order header multiplexer selection section 27 allows a VOS header multiplexer section 28, a VO header multiplexer section 29, and a VOL header multiplexer section 30 to respectively multiplex the VOS, VO. VOL headers with each header information. Each header information of the VOS, VO, VOL headers includes decoder configuration information required for decoding. Thus, the high-order header multiplexer selection section 27 effectively sets the multiplexing indication flag in the order of a plurality of VOPs (Video Object Planes) so as to start decoding even on the way of the received coded stream and periodically multiplexes the header information to the coded bit stream.