Method and an appraratus to divide image blocks

A method of splitting an image block, comprising:

• setting a plurality of macro block splitting threshold values for splitting a macro block in an image frame into sub blocks and determining whether to split the macro block according to whether a preceding macro block at the same location in a preceding image frame as the current macro block has been split;
• and
• setting a plurality of sub block splitting threshold values for splitting the sub block into smaller sub blocks and determining whether to split the sub block into smaller sub blocks according to whether a preceding sub block at the same location in a preceding macro block as the current sub block has been split.

A recording medium on which a method is written as a program code that can be read and executed on a computer, the program coded method comprising:

• setting a plurality of splitting threshold values for a macro block in an image frame and determining whether to split the macro block into sub blocks;
• and
• setting a splitting threshold value for each sub block and determining whether to split each sub block into smaller sub blocks.

A recording medium on which a method is written as a program code that can be read and executed on a computer, the the program coded method comprising:

• setting a plurality of macro block splitting threshold values for splitting a macro block in an image frame into sub blocks and determining whether to split the macro block according to whether a macro block at the same location in a preceding image frame as the current macro block has been split;
• and
• setting a plurality of sub block splitting threshold values for splitting the sub block into smaller sub blocks and determining whether to split the sub block into smaller sub blocks according to whether a sub block at the same location in a preceding macro block as the current sub block has been split.

An apparatus to split an image block, comprising:

• a macro block splitting determining unit that sets a plurality of macro block splitting threshold values for splitting a macro block in an image frame into sub blocks and determines whether to split the macro block;
• and
• a sub block splitting determining unit that sets a plurality of sub block splitting threshold values for splitting each sub block into smaller sub blocks and determines whether to split the sub block.

An apparatus to split an image block, which comprises:

• a macro block splitting determining unit that sets a plurality of macro block splitting threshold values for splitting a macro block in an image frame into sub blocks and determines whether to split the macro block according to whether a macro block at the same location in a preceding image frame as the current macro block has been split;
• and
• a sub block splitting determining unit that sets a plurality of sub block splitting threshold values for splitting each sub block into smaller sub blocks and determines whether to split each sub block according to whether a preceding sub block at the same location in the preceding macro block as the current sub block has been split.

A method of splitting an image block, comprising:

• splitting macro image blocks each of left-eye views and right eye views into sub image blocks according to quadtree disparity estimation;
• and
• splitting each sub block into smaller sub blocks.