Patent ID: 8675140

Claim:
A playback apparatus that plays back hierarchically-encoded video image data from which decoded video images of individual encoded layers can be obtained by selectively decoding the encoded layers and audio data associated with a predetermined encoded layer of the hierarchically-encoded video image data, the apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and a memory which is coupled to the at least one processor and stores instructions which cause the at least one processor to perform operations of following units of the playback apparatus: a receiving unit which receives the hierarchically-encoded video image data and the audio data; a specifying unit which specifies the audio-associated encoded layer with which the audio data is associated, from among a plurality of encoded layers contained in the hierarchically-encoded video image data received by the receiving unit; an acquiring unit which acquires information on a field of view of the decoded video images that can be obtained when the plurality of encoded layers are individually decoded; a video image decoding unit which decodes a encoded layer chosen from among the plurality of encoded layers; an audio decoding unit which decodes the audio data; a correcting unit which, in the case where the chosen encoded layer is not the audio-associated encoded layer, corrects an audio decoded by the audio decoding unit using a ratio of the field of view of a decoded video image decoded by the video image decoding unit to the field of view of a decoded video image that can be obtained when the audio-associated encoded layer is decoded; and a playback unit which plays back the decoded video image decoded by the video image decoding unit and the audio corrected by the correcting unit.