The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and method which make it possible to transmit image data with high quality and low delay in more versatile situations. A control unit 111 obtains negotiation information including a transmission-allowed bit rate of a transmission line 103, which is defined in a standard, information regarding a receiving apparatus, or a measured value of the transmission-allowed bit rate, controls whether or not to encode image data and transmit the encoded image data, and performs settings in encoding, such as a resolution, a bit rate, and a delay time. Also, an encoding unit 113 controls a decomposition number of a chrominance component in accordance with the format of image data to be encoded. The present invention is applicable to, for example, a communication apparatus.