Patent ID: 8218077

Claim:
An image processing apparatus for processing first image data to output second image data having a quality higher than the first image data, comprising: determination means for determining whether received broadcast image data is either previously up-converted pseudo-high definition image data generated by up-converting initial image data by increasing the number of pixels forming the broadcast image data, or is high definition image data that was not up-converted from the initial image data, the pseudo-high definition image data and the high definition image data having a same resolution and format; down-conversion means for down-converting the received broadcast image data into down-converted image data by decreasing the number of pixels forming the broadcast image data; a data switch that provides the down-converted image data from the down-conversion means to a first image conversion means for converting when the determination means determines that the broadcast image data is not the up-converted image data, and that provides the down-converted image data to a second image conversion means for converting when the determination means determines that the broadcast image data is the up-converted pseudo-high definition image data; the first image conversion means converts, when the determination means determines that the broadcast image data is not the up-converted image data, the broadcast image data that was not up-converted from the determination means and the down-converted image data from the down-conversion means as the first image data into the second image data having a resolution higher than the broadcast image data that was not up-converted; and the second image conversion means converts, when the determination means determines that the broadcast image data is the up-converted image data, the down-converted image data from the down-converting means via the data switch as the first image data into the second image data, wherein the determination means provides the broadcast image data to the down-conversion means when it is determined that the broadcast image data is the up-converted pseudo-high definition image data, and provides the broadcast image data to the down-conversion means and the first image conversion means when it is determined that the broadcast image data is not the up-converted image data.