VIDEO SIGNAL ENCODING AND DECODING APPARATUS

An encoding and decoding apparatus for a video signal and a high-definition television signal is disclosed. For the picture A having the horizontal to vertical screen frame ratio of 4:3, the picture B having the horizontal to vertical screen frame ratio of 16:9 and the picture C having the horizontal to vertical screen frame ratio of 16:9 and having a larger number of vertical pixels than that of the picture A and picture B, the apparatus limits the band of the picture C to obtain the picture D having the same numbers of horizontal and vertical pixels respectively as those of the picture B, and high-efficiency encodes the picture A, picture B or picture D in the same method. The apparatus obtains the additional picture E which is a difference between the picture D and the picture C, or a difference between the picture D' which is a result of decoding a signal that has been obtained by high-efficiency encoding the picture D and the picture C, and then high-efficiency encodes the additional picture E obtained.