Patent ID: 7321715

Claim:
A picture data reproducing apparatus which reproduces picture data recorded to a recording medium according the MPEG standard, the apparatus comprising: a stream buffer which provisionally stores picture data grouped as a GOP which begins with an I picture; a decoding means for reading picture data provisionally stored in the stream buffer sequentially starting with a previous picture and decoding the read picture data in the course of a FORWARD reproduction being done; and a data adding means for additionally supplying picture data acquired from the recording medium to the stream buffer; the data adding means additionally supplying, when the picture data provisionally stored in the stream buffer have been read by the decoding means to before last N, a predetermined amount of picture data beginning at the head of a GOP including picture data in the remaining N-th frame in the stream buffer, wherein the data adding means additionally supplies, when the picture data provisionally stored in the stream buffer have been read by the decoding means to before last three frames, a predetermined amount of picture data beginning at the head of a GOP including picture data in the remaining third frame.