Motion compensation method, picture coding method and picture decoding method

A motion compensation apparatus which generating a predictive image of a current block to be coded included in a current macroblock of a B-picture, the motion compensation apparatus comprising:

• a motion vector obtaining unit operable to obtain a motion vector from a block for which motion compensation has been performed, the block being included in a co-located block, the co-located block being included in a co-located macroblock, the co-located macroblock being included in a picture subsequent in display order to the B-picture, wherein the size of the block is smaller than the size of the current block and the size of the co-located block is the same as the current block and wherein the block is located in a corner of the co-located macroblock;
• a specifying unit operable to specify plural adjacent macroblocks which are located adjacent to the current macroblock;
• a motion vector determining unit operable to determine a motion vector for performing motion compensation on the current block using the obtained motion vector;
• and
• a motion compensation unit operable to perform motion compensation on the current block to generate a predictive image of the current block by using the determined motion vector,
• wherein, in the case where a size of the obtained motion vector is a predetermined value or less, the motion vector for the current block is determined to be “0”, and in the case where the size of the obtained motion vector exceeds the predetermined value, the motion vector for the current block is determined to be a median of plural motion vectors of the plural adjacent macroblocks,
• wherein,
• the motion vector of the adjacent macroblock is determined to be a motion vector of a motion compensated block included in the adjacent macroblock in the case where a size of the motion compensated block is the same as a size of the adjacent macroblock, and
• the motion vector of the adjacent macroblock is determined to be a motion vector of the 4×4 block included in the adjacent macroblock in the case where a size of the motion compensated block is smaller than a size of the adjacent macroblock, wherein (1) the 4×4 block is a block located on the upper-right corner of the adjacent macroblock in the case that the adjacent macroblock is located to the left of the current macroblock, and (2) the 4×4 block is a block located on the lower-left corner of the adjacent macroblock in the case that the adjacent macroblock is located above the current macroblock, and (3) the 4×4 block is a block located on the lower-left corner of the adjacent macroblock in the case that the adjacent macroblock is located above-right of the current macroblock.