Patent ID: 8170375
Filing Date: 2012-05-01
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An image processing apparatus comprising: input means for receiving an input stream of encoded image data; decoding processing means for decoding the input stream received at the input means to obtain decoded image data of pictures; first storage means for storing the decoded image data of the pictures obtained by the decoding processing means; second storage means for storing the decoded image data obtained by the decoding processing means, the second storage means having a storage area capable of storing at least one picture of image data whose image size is the largest of image data to be decoded by the decoding processing means; control means for analyzing the input stream received at the input means and storing the decoded image data obtained by the decoding processing means in the first storage means and the second storage means in accordance with an analysis result; and output means for reading and outputting, in a display order, the pictures of the image data stored by the control means in the first storage means and the second storage means, wherein the control means sets a plurality of storage areas in the first storage means in accordance with information on the image size of the image data corresponding to the input stream, the information being obtained from the analysis result, stores the decoded image data of the pictures which are sequentially obtained by the decoding processing means in the set plurality of storage areas, determines whether the image size of the image data in the input stream changes in accordance with the analysis result, and, when the image size changes, stores, of the decoded image data obtained by the decoding processing means, image data of a picture displayed immediately before the image size changes in the second storage means, wherein the input means receives the input stream of the image data in which a picture type of each picture is determined in advance on a group-of-pictures-by-group-of-pictures basis, the group of pictures conforming to a predetermined encoding standard, and the control means determines, on a group-of-pictures-by-group-of-pictures basis, whether the image size of the image data in the input stream received at the input means changes in accordance with the analysis result, specifies, of the decoded image data obtained by the decoding processing means, a group of pictures positioned immediately before the image size changes, and stores data of a picture displayed at last among pictures constituting the specified group of pictures.