Patent ID: 7515636

Claim:
An image information conversion apparatus comprising: conversion means for converting first image compression information inputted to said image information conversion apparatus into second image compression information to be outputted from said image information conversion apparatus; each of the first image compression information and the second image compression information including at least intra-image coded pictures and inter-image predictive coded pictures; and scene change detection means operable when said conversion means calculates, based on a variable representative of a complexity of a screen for each frame of the inputted first image compression information, a target code amount for each frame of the second image compression information to be outputted for detecting, prior to conversion of an intra-image coded picture of the first image compression information into an inter-image predictive coded picture of the second image compression information, whether or not a scene change is included in a frame of the intra-image coded picture to be converted, wherein, when said scene change detection means detects that a scene change is included in the frame to be converted, said scene change detection means limits the conversion by said conversion means from the intra-image coded picture of the first image compression information into an inter-image predictive coded picture of the second image compression information, and wherein said scene change detection means detects whether or not a scene change is included in the frame to be converted using an average value of a DC component among predetermined coding units included in each frame.