Multiplexing apparatus and demultiplexing apparatus

1. A multiplexing apparatus for multiplexing coded streams with other information, the coded streams including coded pictures on a per randomly-accessible access unit basis, said multiplexing apparatus comprising:

a first determining unit configured to determine delay amounts in two access units to be decoded sequentially, which are a first access unit and a second access unit, in the coded streams such that the delay amounts in the two access units become equal to each other in the case where the two access units are access units each having a different angle and are decoded sequentially changing angles from an angle of the first access unit which is a switching source to an angle of the second access unit which is a switching destination, the delay amounts each being a time lag from a decoding time of a top picture in decoding order to a display time of a top picture in display order, the second access unit being selected from among access units which have identical playback start times and identical playback end times in the coded streams;

a generating unit configured to code the pictures to be included in the two access units and generate the coded streams according to the delay amounts determined by said first determining unit; and

a multiplexing unit configured to multiplex the coded streams generated by said generating unit and the other information,

wherein the other information includes a flag indicating whether or not the two access units can be connected to each other seamlessly, and the flag is determined depending on whether or not the delay amounts in the two access units are equal to each other, and

wherein said generating unit is further configured to code an Instantaneous Decoder Refresh (IDR) picture, the IDR picture being a picture to be decoded first in the second access unit, and to be decoded immediately after the first access unit.

2. A playback apparatus which demultiplexes the multiplexed data generated by the multiplexing apparatus according to claim 1 and displays the demultiplexed data, said playback apparatus comprising:

a flag demultiplexing unit configured to demultiplex, from the multiplexed data, the flag in the case where the two access units are the access units each having the different angle and are decoded sequentially changing angles from the angle of the first access unit which is the switching source to the angle of the second access unit which is the switching destination, the second access unit being selected from among the access units which have the identical playback start times and the identical playback end times in the coded streams;

a second determining unit configured to determine the delay amount in a top access unit at a display starting time in the case where the flag demultiplexed by said flag demultiplexing unit indicates that the two access units can be connected to each other seamlessly; and

a display unit configured to sequentially decode the two access units each having the different angle changing angles from the angle of the first access unit to the angle of the second access unit, according to the delay amount determined by said second determining unit, and display the decoded two access units,

wherein said display unit is further configured to decode the Instantaneous Decoder Refresh (IDR) picture, the IDR picture being the picture to be decoded first in the second access unit, and to be decoded immediately after the first access unit.

3. A multiplexing method for multiplexing coded streams with other information, the coded streams including coded pictures on a per randomly-accessible access unit basis, said multiplexing method comprising:

determining delay amounts in two access units to be decoded sequentially, which are a first access unit and a second access unit, in the coded streams such that the delay amounts in the two access units become equal to each other in the case where the two access units are access units each having a different angle and are decoded sequentially changing angles from an angle of the first access unit which is a switching source to an angle of the second access unit which is a switching destination, the delay amounts each being a time lag from a decoding time of a top picture in decoding order to a display time of a top picture in display order, the second access unit being selected from among access units which have identical playback start times and identical playback end times in the coded streams;

coding the pictures to be included in the two access units and generating the coded streams according to the delay amounts determined in said determining; and

multiplexing the coded streams generated in said generating and the other information,

wherein the other information includes a flag indicating whether or not the two access units can be connected to each other seamlessly, and the flag is determined depending on whether or not the delay amounts in the two access units are equal to each other, and

wherein said coding further comprises coding an Instantaneous Decoder Refresh (IDR) picture, the IDR picture being a picture to be decoded first in the second access unit, and to be decoded immediately after the first access unit.

4. A playback method for demultiplexing the multiplexed data generated using the multiplexing method according to claim 3 , said playback method comprising:

demultiplexing the flag from the multiplexed data in the case where the two access units are the access units each having the different angle and are decoded sequentially changing angles from the angle of the first access unit which is the switching source to the angle of the second access unit which is the switching destination, the second access unit being selected from among the access units which have the identical playback start times and the identical playback end times in the coded streams, the multiplexed data including (i) coded streams including coded pictures on a per randomly-accessible access unit basis and (ii) other information including the flag;

determining a delay amount in a top access unit at a display starting time in the case where the flag demultiplexed in said demultiplexing indicates that the two access units can be connected to each other seamlessly; and

sequentially decoding the two access units each having the different angle changing angles from the angle of the first access unit to the angle of the second access unit, according to the delay amount determined in said determining, and displaying the decoded two access units,

wherein said decoding further comprises decoding the Instantaneous Decoder Refresh (IDR) picture, the IDR picture being the picture to be decoded first in the second access unit, and to be decoded immediately after the first access unit.

5. A recording method for recording, onto a recording medium, multiplexed data including coded streams and other information, the coded streams including coded pictures on a per randomly-accessible access unit basis, said recording method comprising:

determining delay amounts in two access units to be decoded sequentially, which are a first access unit and a second access unit, in the coded streams such that the delay amounts in the two access units become equal to each other in the case where the two access units are access units each having a different angle and are decoded sequentially changing angles from an angle of the first access unit which is a switching source to an angle of the second access unit which is a switching destination, the delay amounts each being a time lag from a decoding time of a top picture in decoding order to a display time of a top picture in display order, the second access unit being selected from among access units which have identical playback start times and identical playback end times in the coded streams;

coding the pictures to be included in the two access units and generating the coded streams according to the delay amounts determined in said determining;

multiplexing the coded streams generated in said generating and the other information; and

recording the multiplexed data multiplexed in said multiplexing onto a recording medium,

wherein the other information includes a flag indicating whether or not the two access units can be connected to each other seamlessly, and the flag is determined depending on whether or not the delay amounts in the two access units are equal to each other, and

wherein said coding further comprises coding an Instantaneous Decoder Refresh (IDR) picture, the IDR picture being a picture to be decoded first in the second access unit, and to be decoded immediately after the first access unit.