Patent ID: 8224148

Claim:
A decoding apparatus comprising: a decoder including: decoding means for decoding HD picture stream data encoded in accordance with an HD (high definition) system into HD picture frames, and for time-divisionally decoding m channels of SD picture stream data encoded in accordance with an SD (standard definition) system into SD picture frames, m being a natural number; and picture frame storage means for storing the HD picture frames decoded by said decoding means, and for storing the SD picture frames decoded by said decoding means, the picture frame storage means including storage areas that store the HD picture frames and the SD picture frames; control means for controlling the picture frame storage means to procure a storage area for storing a preset number of the HD picture frames in decoding said HD picture stream data and to procure a storage area for storing a preset number of the SD picture frames for each of the m channels of the SD picture stream data in decoding said m channels of the SD picture stream data, wherein the decoding means does not decode the HD picture stream data until the control means procures the storage area for storing the preset number of the HD picture frames, and does not time-divisionally decode the m channels of the SD picture stream until the control means procures the storage area for storing the preset number of the SD picture frames for each of the m channels of the SD picture stream data; picture frame write means for writing said HD picture frames or said SD picture frames in said storage area of said picture frame storage means as procured by said control means; picture frame readout means for reading out said HD picture frames based on output time information of said HD picture frames from said picture frame storage means, and for reading out said SD picture frames based on output time information of said SD picture frames from the picture frame storage means; and outputting means for outputting said HD picture frames read out by said picture frame readout means and for outputting said SD picture frames read out by said picture frame readout means so that said SD picture frames of the m channels are arranged in a display.