VIDEO REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND VIDEO REPRODUCING METHOD

1 . A video reproducing apparatus which decodes coded images for stereoscopic viewing and outputs the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing, said video reproducing apparatus comprising:

a decoding unit configured to decode the coded images for stereoscopic viewing, and output the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing and coding-related information which is used in the coding of the images for stereoscopic viewing and is related to compression distortion which occurs due to the coding;

a quality determining unit configured to determine whether the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing should be output as a two-dimensional video or as a three-dimensional video, based on the coding-related information related to the compression distortion; and

a screen generating unit configured to output the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing as the two-dimensional video or the three-dimensional video, according to the determination by said quality determining unit.

2 . The video reproducing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the coding-related information is one of a quantization width, a quantized matrix, a quantization parameter, a recording mode, and a recording rate, the one being used in the coding of the images for stereoscopic viewing.

3 . The video reproducing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein said quality determining unit is configured to:

determine that the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing should be output as the two-dimensional video, based on the coding-related information when said quality determining unit determines that the compression distortion is larger than a predetermined threshold; and

determine that the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing should be output as the three-dimensional video based on the coding-related information when said quality determining unit determines that the compression distortion is equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold.

4 . The video reproducing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising

a storing unit configured to store the coding-related information of the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing,

wherein said quality determining unit is configured to output the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing as the two-dimensional video or the three-dimensional video, based on statistical information obtained from the coding-related information stored in said storing unit.

5 . The video reproducing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising

a receiving unit configured to receive a reproduction instruction for the coded images for stereoscopic viewing,

wherein, upon receiving the reproduction instruction, said quality determining unit is configured to determine, before the output of the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing is started, whether the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing should be output as the two-dimensional video or as the three-dimensional video, based on the coding-related information, and

said screen generating unit is configured to output the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing as the two-dimensional video or as the three-dimensional video according to the determination by said quality determining unit.

6 . The video reproducing apparatus according to claim 5 ,

wherein said receiving unit is configured to receive the reproduction instruction on whether the coded images for stereoscopic viewing should be output as the two-dimensional video or as the three-dimensional video, and

when said receiving unit receives the reproduction instruction indicating reproduction of the coded images for stereoscopic viewing as the three-dimensional video and said quality determining unit determines that the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing should be output as the two-dimensional video, said screen generating unit is configured to output a signal indicating output of the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing as the two-dimensional video before outputting the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing.

7 . The video reproducing apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein said quality determining unit is configured to detect a scene change, based on the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing, and determine whether the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing should be output as the two-dimensional video or as the three-dimensional video, based on the coding-related information upon detecting the scene change.

8 . The video reproducing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising

an obtaining unit configured to obtain the coded images for stereoscopic viewing.

9 . A video reproducing method of decoding coded images for stereoscopic viewing and outputting the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing, said video reproducing method comprising:

decoding the coded images for stereoscopic viewing, and outputting the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing and coding-related information which is used in the coding of the images for stereoscopic viewing and is related to compression distortion which occurs due to the coding;

determining whether the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing should be output as a two-dimensional video or as a three-dimensional video, based on the coding-related information related to the compression distortion; and

outputting the decoded images for stereoscopic viewing as the two-dimensional video or the three-dimensional video, according to the determination in said determining.