Patent ID: 8195024

Claim:
A stream generating apparatus which generates a multiplexed stream including moving picture data, comprising: a moving picture encoding processing section for generating a moving picture stream by encoding the moving picture data allowing switching between a reference frame rate and more than one frame rate different from the reference frame rate according to a desired timing; a time control information generating section for generating playback time control information with certain intervals corresponding to picture frame display cycles relevant to the reference frame rate, for each picture frame inputted to the moving picture encoding processing section; and a multiplexing processing section for generating the multiplexed stream by multiplexing the moving picture stream and the playback time control information, in which the reference frame rate corresponds to a normal imaging mode and one of the more than one frame rate different from the reference frame rate corresponds to a fast imaging mode for imaging with a faster rate than that of the normal imaging mode, and in which during a recording operation when the normal imaging mode is utilized from a start time the playback time control information corresponds to real time information from the start time until the normal imaging mode is switched to the fast imaging mode whereupon the playback time control information corresponds to a time different from the real time and when the fast imaging mode is switched back to the normal imaging mode the playback time control information is incremented so as to correspond to real time information added to the respective time different from the real time at the switch back from the fast imaging mode to the normal imaging mode, such that during a respective recording operation which involves the fast imaging mode a final value of the playback time control information corresponds to a total time which is different from a total recording time.