Method, medium, and system encoding and/or decoding an image using image slices

Abstract

An encoding method, medium, and system encoding an image, with an image being encoded by generating a plurality of image slices as images of each color component of the image and encoding the image slices in parallel with each other and independently of each other. Accordingly, although an image to be encoded has a large number of color components, the image can be compressed promptly. In addition, a decoding method, medium, and system are also provided decoding an image, with a plurality of encoded image slices being included in a corresponding bitstream, which are images of each color component of the image to be restored, are decoded in parallel with each other and independently of each other so as to restore the image using the decoded image slices. Accordingly, although an image to be decoded has a large number of color components, the image can be restored promptly.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for decoding image data, the apparatus comprising:
 a decoding unit including at least one processing device, to decode color components from a bitstream based on information related to a chroma format, so as to generate a reconstructed picture; and   a filtering unit to perform deblocking filtering on the reconstructed picture, except at least one of upper and left boundaries of each of slices in the reconstructed picture, based on information related to a filtering process from the bitstream.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the decoding unit decodes each slice in parallel. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein each slice is generated by dividing the image data spatially. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein each slice is generated by dividing the image data temporally. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the information related to the chroma format comprises a relationship between the color components and slices indicating whether respective slices contain each of the color components.