Video encoding control method and apparatus

A video encoding control apparatus for controlling encoding of an input video signal, the apparatus comprising:

• a device that detects an underflow of a decoder buffer;
• a device that suppresses an amount of generated code by skipping an encoding target picture or by encoding the encoding target picture so as to produce a minimum amount of generated code;
• a device that computes a period of time for suppressing an amount of generated code based on a predetermined threshold for a rate of occupancy in the decoder buffer and an encoding bit rate;
• and
• a device that performs, if the underflow of the decoder buffer has been detected, a control for continuously suppressing the amount of code generated for each encoding target picture during the computed period of time, by using the above device that suppresses the amount of generated code.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which stores a video encoding control program by which a computer executes the video encoding control method comprising the steps of:

• detecting an underflow of a decoder buffer;
• if the underflow of the decoder buffer has been detected, computing a period of time for suppressing an amount of generated code based on a predetermined threshold for a rate of occupancy in the decoder buffer and an encoding bit rate;
• and
• performing a control for continuously suppressing the amount of code generated for each encoding target picture during the computed period of time, by skipping the encoding target picture or by encoding the encoding target picture so as to produce a minimum amount of generated code.