In one embodiment, the method includes determining reference picture index numbers in a reference picture list. The reference picture index numbers increase for reference pictures having a decreasing display order with respect to a picture including the macroblock. The reference picture index numbers increase for reference pictures having an increasing display order with respect to the picture including the macroblock, and the reference picture index numbers of the reference pictures having a decreasing display order are greater than the reference picture index numbers of the reference pictures having an increasing display order. The embodiment further includes obtaining motion vector information for the current macroblock, obtaining a field reference picture index associated with the current field macroblock, determining a frame reference picture index based on the field reference picture index divided by 2, selecting a frame reference picture based on the frame reference picture index and the reference picture index number, and selecting a field reference picture based on the selected frame reference picture and the field reference picture index. The current macroblock is decoded based on the motion vector information and the selected field reference picture.