APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ENCODING AND DECODING A SUBTITLE SIGNAL

Subtitle encoding and decoding apparatus and corresponding method are operable to encode and decode multiple subtitle signals representing multiple subtitles to be superimposed on a video image. Each received subtitle signal is encoded (in the encoding apparatus only) and stored in a buffer memory. An address list including data nodes therein is generated from the received subtitle signals wherein each data node in the address list corresponds to a respective subtitle stored in the buffer memory. Each data node includes data corresponding to the time and position at which a respective subtitle is to be superimposed on a video image, as well as buffer memory address information which identifies the location in the buffer memory at which the respective subtitle is stored. Each data node further includes pointer data that identifies another data node that corresponds to a successively positioned subtitle in the display. Appropriate write and read address control signals are generated from the data in the address list and a subtitle signal is stored to and reproduced from the buffer memory in accordance with the respective write and read address control signals. In the decoding apparatus, the read out subtitle signal is decoded before being output.