ENCODING OF TWO CORRELATED SEQUENCES OF DATA

摘要

A first sequence [SQ1] of data blocks [DB1-*] and a second sequence [SQ2] of data blocks [DB2-*] are encoded. The second sequence [SQ2] of data blocks [DB2-*] is correlated with the first sequence [SQ1] of data blocks [DB1-*]. This may concern, for example, an encoding of stereoscopic (3D) video. The first sequence [SQ1] of data blocks [DB1-*] is encoded in such a manner that certain data blocks serve as a reference [REF] for predictively encoding [PE] the other data blocks in the first sequence [SQ1]. The second sequence [SQ2] of data blocks [DB2-*] is encoded in such a manner that all data blocks [DB2-*] are predictively encoded [PE] with respect to those data blocks [DB1-*] in the first sequence [SQ1] which serve as a reference [REF]. For example, in a stereoscopic (3D) video encoding application, left-eye video frames are MPEG-encoded as if they belonged to an ordinary, non-stereoscopic video signal and right-eye video frames are all B-encoded with respect to I and P-encoded left-eye video frames, or vice versa. At the decoding end a relatively small memory will be sufficient for the purpose of decoding.