Moving picture coding and/or decoding systems, and variable-length coding and/or decoding system

A variable length coding method, which assigns, to a plurality of source symbols, code words having a code length corresponding to the occurrence probability of the source symbols and which outputs code words corresponding to inputted source symbols as coded data, said variable length coding method comprising:

• storing in a code-word table a plurality of code words including code words which are capable of being decoded both in forward and backward directions and which are formed so that delimiters of the code words are capable of being identified by a predetermined weight of the code words, so that said plurality of code words correspond to said source symbols;
• selecting code words corresponding to inputted source symbols from the code-word table;
• and
• setting a synchronization interval by preparing coded data for each of predetermined synchronization intervals using code words selected by said code-word selecting step, and by inserting stuffing codes capable of being decoded in the backward direction.

A variable length coding system, which assigns, to a plurality of source symbols, code words having a code length corresponding to the occurrence probability of the source symbols and which outputs code words corresponding to inputted source symbols as coded data, said variable length coding system comprising:

• a code-word table storing therein a plurality of code words including codes words which are capable of being decoded both in forward and backward directions and which are formed so that delimiters of the code words are capable of being identified by a predetermined weight of the code words, so that said plurality of code words correspond to source symbols;
• an encoder for selecting code words corresponding to inputted source symbols from the code-word table;
• and
• a synchronization interval setting element for preparing coded data for each of predetermined synchronization intervals using code words selected by said encoder and for inserting stuffing codes capable of being decoded in the backward direction.