Patent ID: 7856167

Claim:
An image playback apparatus that plays back moving picture data composed of a series of groups of picture data, each group comprising a plurality of encoded pictures, the image playback apparatus comprising: a buffer unit for buffering the moving picture data; a decoder for reading out and decoding the moving picture data buffered by the buffer unit; an output unit for outputting pictures decoded by the decoder to a subsequent stage; and a control unit configured for: controlling the buffer unit, concerning a group of picture data that is played back last during a playback operation, to buffer all of the pictures in the group in a playback order, and, concerning groups of picture data except for the group of picture data that is played back last during the playback operation, to buffer fewer than all of the pictures in the groups, according to a predetermined encoding method, controlling the decoder, concerning the group of picture data that is played back last during the playback operation, to decode all of the pictures in the group in the playback order, and, concerning the groups of picture data except for the group of picture data that is played back last during the playback operation, to decode fewer than all of the pictures in the groups, according to the predetermined encoding method, and controlling the output unit, concerning the group of picture data that is played back last during the playback operation, to output all of the pictures in the group in the playback order, and concerning the groups of picture data except for the group of picture data that is played back last during the playback operation, to output fewer than all of the pictures in the groups, according to the predetermined encoding method.