A video bitstream is decoded by decoding, in a slice header associated with a picture, a first syntax element indicating a number of entropy slices defining a first slice. Each slice contains plural largest coding units (LCUs). A second syntax element indicates an offset with an index, and a third syntax element indicates a slice type of the first slice. When the third syntax element indicates a B slice, a flag indicating one of two coding context initialization methods to be used is decoded. When the third syntax element indicates a P slice, the coding context is initialized using one of two initialization methods. When the third syntax element indicates an I slice, the coding context is initialized using a third initialization method.