What is the primary function of interframe coding?

The primary function of interframe coding is to compare picture information across frames. This method takes advantage of the temporal redundancy found in video sequences, which means that many frames in a video contain similar or identical information. By comparing these frames, interframe coding can efficiently represent only the differences between them, rather than encoding each frame in its entirety.

This technique significantly reduces the amount of data required for video compression, as it allows the encoder to store the frames more compactly by referencing previous or subsequent frames. Therefore, it is particularly effective in achieving high compression ratios while maintaining video quality, as it focuses on the variations rather than redundancies in the content.

While there are other important aspects of video encoding, such as managing color data and compressing file sizes, the specific function of interframe coding is centered on analyzing and comparing the differences between frames to achieve efficient encoding.