In step ST103, the image decoding apparatus performs a predicted image generating process. The intra-predicting section 73 or the motion compensating section 74 of the image decoding apparatus 50 performs the predicted image generating process depending on the prediction mode information supplied from the entropy decoding section 62.
Specifically, in case the intra-prediction mode information is supplied from the entropy decoding section 62, the intra-predicting section 73 generates an intra-predicted image in the intra-prediction mode. In case the inter-prediction mode information is supplied from the entropy decoding section 62, the motion compensating section 74 performs a motion compensation process in the inter-prediction mode and generates an inter-predicted image. According to this processing, the predicted image (the intra-predicted image) generated by the intra-predicting section 73, or the predicted image (the inter-predicted image) generated by the motion compensating section 74 output to the operator 65.
In step ST104, the image decoding apparatus performs a dequantizing process. The dequantizing section 63 of the image decoding apparatus 50 dequantizes quantized data obtained by the entropy decoding section 62 according to a process corresponding to the quantizing process of the quantization section 24 illustrated in