Method and apparatus for encoding video shape and texture information

The present invention concerns an encoding apparatus comprising: an image analysis module that generates shape, texture and motion information from image data representing at least a video object; a parameter coding module that adjusts texture information generated by the image analysis module based on original shape information from the image analysis module and encodes the adjusted texture information and shape and motion information; a decoding module that decodes encoded texture, shape and motion information from the parameter coding module; and a memory that stores decoded data from the decoding module. Further, the invention relates to a method of encoding texture information for a video object, the method comprising: performing image analysis to create a bounding shape for a current video object plane Sk (VOP Sk); estimating texture and shape motion parameters for the VOP Sk; predictively encoding the texture and shape motion parameters with respect to a reference VOP S'k-1; transmitting and decoding the encoded texture and shape motion parameters; and storing a new reference VOP in memory.