Patent US 9,225,945

A moving picture encoder and encoding method for encoding a moving picture signal are disclosed. The moving picture encoder includes a plurality of reference picture memory areas, each area storing picture data of a reference picture to be used for prediction; and a prediction picture generator including a motion compensator that generates the predicted picture by using the picture data stored in the reference picture memory area, a parameter representing a motion between an image to be predicted and the reference picture and prediction mode information indicating a prediction mode corresponding to a prediction method used for generating a predicted picture, and a memory updater that controls a timing of updating the picture data of a full frame stored in the reference picture memory area; and a multiplexer that multiplexes an information representing memory update in a bitstream.