A reproduction apparatus comprising: reproduction means for reproducing, from a recording medium, an encoded video data sequence divided into consecutive error correcting code units, the encoded video data sequence including intra-coded pictures encoded using only image data within the same frame picture (I-picture), predictive-coded pictures encoded with motion compensation based on a preceding frame picture (P-picture), and bidirectionally predictive coded pictures encoded with motion compensation based on preceding and succeeding frame pictures (B-picture); and error correcting means for correcting correctable errors in the ECC units reproduced by the reproducing means if the ECC units contain correctable errors, and for outputting error flag information indicating existence of an uncorrectable error in the ECC units if the ECC units contain uncorrectable errors; characterised in that the I-pictures and/or the P-pictures comprise system data, the system data including a time stamp and information indicating the time for which encoded data of one frame resides in a VBV buffer (VBV_Delay); and the reproducing apparatus further comprising control means configured to detect the error flag information from the error correcting means; obtain the time stamp immediately before an ECC unit containing an uncorrectable error and the time stamp immediately after the ECC unit containing the uncorrectable error; determine the number of pictures in the encoded video data sequence affected by the uncorrectable error based on the obtained time stamps; substitute the encoded video data sequence of the number of pictures affected by the uncorrectable error with predetermined encoded data, the predetermined encoded data indicating that difference data from a reference picture is zero; and output the encoded video data sequence including the substituted predetermined encoded data to a decoder for decoding, so as to obtain a frozen image for a period affected by the uncorrectable error. reproduction means for reproducing, from a recording medium, an encoded video data sequence divided into consecutive error correcting code units, the encoded video data sequence including intra-coded pictures encoded using only image data within the same frame picture (I-picture), predictive-coded pictures encoded with motion compensation based on a preceding frame picture (P-picture), and bidirectionally predictive coded pictures encoded with motion compensation based on preceding and succeeding frame pictures (B-picture); and error correcting means for correcting correctable errors in the ECC units reproduced by the reproducing means if the ECC units contain correctable errors, and for outputting error flag information indicating existence of an uncorrectable error in the ECC units if the ECC units contain uncorrectable errors; characterised in that the I-pictures and/or the P-pictures comprise system data, the system data including a time stamp and information indicating the time for which encoded data of one frame resides in a VBV buffer (VBV_Delay); and the reproducing apparatus further comprising control means configured to detect the error flag information from the error correcting means; obtain the time stamp immediately before an ECC unit containing an uncorrectable error and the time stamp immediately after the ECC unit containing the uncorrectable error; determine the number of pictures in the encoded video data sequence affected by the uncorrectable error based on the obtained time stamps; substitute the encoded video data sequence of the number of pictures affected by the uncorrectable error with predetermined encoded data, the predetermined encoded data indicating that difference data from a reference picture is zero; and output the encoded video data sequence including the substituted predetermined encoded data to a decoder for decoding, so as to obtain a frozen image for a period affected by the uncorrectable error.