Patent attributes
An image encoding method includes generating a predictive signal and encoding mode information according to each encoding mode from a macroblock signal corresponding to each macroblock, selecting a quantization code table corresponding to each macroblock, generating a predictive error signal for each encoding mode based on the macroblock signal and the predictive signal, subjecting the predictive error signal to orthogonal transformation, quantizing the orthogonal-transformed predictive error signal while changing a quantization parameter for every plural sub-pixel-blocks, using the quantization code table corresponding to the macroblock, encoding quantization transformation coefficient, calculating an encoding cost, selecting one encoding mode based on the encoding cost, selecting one quantization code table based on the encoding cost, and encoding information of an index indicating the selected quantization code table for every frame of the input image signal or every region of the frame.