1. In a processing device for decoding a sequence comprising a plurality of pictures, each of the plurality of pictures partitionable into one or more slices, each of the one or more slices processed at least in part according to a slice header, a method of processing the slice header describing slice parameters, comprising: (a) decoding an initial value for coding blocks within the slice; (b) decoding deblocking filter parameters according to the slice header; (c) determining, if a slice of the one or more slices is an inter-predicted slice according to slice type data, wherein: the slice is a B-type slice if the at least one coding unit of the slice is coded using motion compensation according to up to two motion vectors associated with at least one reference picture; the slice is a P-type slice if at least one coding unit of the slice is coded using motion compensation according to no more than one motion vector associated with the at least one reference picture; the slice is an I-type slice if no coding units of the slice are coded using motion compensation; and the slice is an inter-predicted slice only if it is a P-type slice or a B-type slice; (d) if the slice is determined to be an inter-picture predicted slice, performing, with further slice type testing performed only to identify the inter-predicted slice as either a P-type slice or a B-type slice: (1) determining if a sequence temporal motion vector predictor flag indicates that the sequence in which the picture is disposed may be encoded using the at least one temporal motion vector predictor; (2) if the sequence temporal motion vector predictor flag indicates that the sequence in which the picture is disposed is encoded using the at least one temporal motion vector predictor, reading a slice/picture temporal motion vector predictor enable flag indicating that the picture in which the slice is disposed is encoded using at least one temporal motion vector predictor; (3) reading a reference picture override flag indicating whether data describing a maximum index of at least one list of reference pictures having the at least one reference picture is included in the slice header; (4) if the read reference picture override flag indicates that the data describing the maximum index of the at least one list of reference pictures having the at least one reference picture is present, reading the data; (5) reading reference picture list modification information only if the at least one reference picture is not implicitly defined; (6) reading information indicating a structure of motion vector differences used in the motion compensation prediction if the slice is a B-slice; (7) reading information defining initialization of context variables for entropy coding of the slice only if the information defining initialization of the context variables is present in the slice header; (8) determining if the slice is encoded using at least one temporal motion predictor according to the read picture temporal motion vector predictor enable flag; (9) only if the slice encoded using at least one temporal motion predictor, reading information describing at least one reference picture of the slice associated with the at least one temporal motion predictor at least in part according to whether the slice is a P-type slice or a B-type slice; (10) applying a weighted prediction according to whether the slice is a B-type slice or a P-type slice; and (11) determining, from the slice header, a maximum number of merged temporal motion vector predictor candidates for the slice.