A PREDICTIVE PICTURE ENCODING CIRCUIT WHICH SELECTIVELY SUPPRESSES AND REPLACES PREDICTION ERROR VALVES, AND A CORRESPONDING PREDICTIVE DECODING CIRCUIT

摘要

In a predictive encoding circuit the transmission of prediction errors to the predictive decoding circuit is selectively suppressed and prediction errors having a predetermined value are applied to the prediction circuit in both the encoding circuit and in the decoding circuit, instead of the non-transmitted prediction errors. In order to determine which prediction errors are not transmitted, a masking function value is determined for an actual pixel in the encoding circuit. This is a linear combination of weighted differences between two pixel values of a predetermined cluster of pixels located in the vicinity of the actual pixel. The actual prediction error is not transmitted only if, for example this masking function value is within a certain range and the previous prediction error has been transmitted. In the decoding circuit the masking function values are determined, starting from the regained local pixel values.