Image replay apparatus and method for moving-picture streams

1. A moving-picture-stream replay apparatus for intermittently acquiring compressed image data and displaying image data for moving-picture stream data of a preset standard, thereby realizing a special replay, the image replay apparatus comprising:

a first-replay-start time acquisition section which acquires, in accordance with a replay speed N, a replay start time that indicates a time elapsing from a leading portion of the moving-picture stream data;

a transmission section which transmits, to a server, a request signal to request the compressed image data corresponding to about 1 second of a replay time from the replay start time of the moving-picture stream data;

a storage control section which stores, into a memory, part of the moving-picture stream data sent in response to the request signal;

a transfer control section which searches the memory for the reference picture data, and transfers the reference picture data to a decoder; and

a next-replay-start time acquisition section which computes a next replay start time after the reference picture data is transferred to the decoder.

2. The moving-picture-stream replay apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a search section which searches the memory for the reference picture data.

3. The moving-picture-stream replay apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a standby-time setting section which performs time adjustment before the reference picture data is transferred to the decoder.

4. The moving-picture-stream replay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the next-replay-start time acquisition section computes the next replay start time by adding, to the replay start time, a value obtained by multiplying the replay speed N by a one-loop time T required after generation of the replay start time until the reference picture data is decoded by the decoder in accordance with the request signal.

5. The moving-picture-stream replay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the request signal contains time information indicating the replay start time and time information indicating an amount of data to fetch.

6. The moving-picture-stream replay apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the request signal contains byte information indicating a replay start position and size information indicating an amount of data to fetch.

7. A moving-picture-stream replay method for use in a moving-picture-stream replay apparatus connected to a server and including a memory, a decoder and a control section for controlling an entire operation of the moving-picture-stream replay apparatus, the moving-picture-stream replay method being used for intermittently acquiring compressed image data and displaying image data for moving-picture stream data of a preset standard, thereby realizing a special replay, the image replay method comprising:

acquiring, in accordance with a replay speed N, a replay start time that indicates a time elapsing from a leading portion of the moving-picture stream data;

generating a request signal to request compressed image data corresponding to about 1 second of a replay time from the replay start time of the moving-picture stream data;

transmitting the request signal to the server;

storing, into the memory, part of the moving-picture stream data sent in response to the request signal;

transferring the reference picture data searched from the memory, to the decoder; and

computing a next replay start time after the reference picture data is transferred to the decoder.

8. The moving-picture-stream replay method according to claim 7 , further comprising searching the memory for the reference picture data.

9. The moving-picture-stream replay method according to claim 7 , further comprising performing time adjustment before the reference picture data is transferred to the decoder.

10. The moving-picture-stream replay method according to claim 7 , wherein the computing the next replay start time includes computing the next replay start time by adding, to the replay start time, a value obtained by multiplying the replay speed N by a one-loop time T required after generation of the replay start time until the reference picture data is decoded by the decoder in accordance with the request signal.