Patent ID: 7437057

Claim:
An image processing apparatus, comprising: a storage device recording screen information of picture information; a display device displaying screen information; and an image controlling circuit controlling input and output of picture information, comprising: a copy guard detecting circuit detecting a copy guard signal, indicating a copying prohibition, included in an input video signal of picture information, a video decoding circuit digitizing the input video signal, a video encoding circuit encoding screen information and outputting a video signal; and an image processing circuit storing to said storage device, both screen information digitized by said video decoding circuit and the fact of the detection by said copy guard detecting circuit of the copy guard signal, said image processing circuit further comprising a circuit reducing the screen information, to deteriorate an image quality, in a case where an output of screen information stored in the storage device is ordered, wherein screen information includes a first part and a second part and the stored reduced screen information includes only the first part, wherein the input video signal of picture information is outputted to the display device in order to display.