A real-time contents editing system edits a large number of images and/or voices which are present in a dispersed fashion on the Internet, and distributes the edited images and/or voices to a plurality of users. The system includes a plurality of video cameras, a plurality of distribution modules each adapted to code an input image taken by a corresponding video camera by use of a coding standard which enables coding while selecting one of a plurality of coding algorithms and to distribute the coded input images, a plurality of receiving modules each adapted to receive and display the images, and at least one editing module. Each distribution module changes, in accordance with the performance level of a machine to be used, the kind and use frequency of a video object plane (VOP) to be used, to thereby select a coding algorithm which enables highly efficient compression.