Picture reproducing and displaying apparatus and method

A picture reproducing and displaying apparatus which displays a compression-encoded picture on a display section, comprising:

• a first memory which stores input encoded picture data;
• a decoding section which decodes the input encoded picture data stored in the first memory;
• a second memory in which one of a first development area whose size larger than that of a display area of a display picture and a second development area whose size smaller than that of the first development area is capable of being set and which stores a picture decoded by the decoding section;
• a display section which displays a picture developed in the second memory;
• and
• a control section which controls the decoding section and the second memory according to one of a picture quality priority mode and a speed priority mode,
• wherein in the picture quality priority mode, the control section controls the decoding section to perform a size conversion process of converting decoded picture within a size of the display section so as to decode the input encoded picture data in an equal size when the picture size of the input encoded picture data is smaller than a size of the first development area and decode the input encoded picture data in a reduced size when the picture size of the input encoded picture data is larger than the size of the first development area, and
• wherein in the speed priority mode, the control section sets the second development area and controls the decoding section to perform the size conversion process of converting the decoded picture within the size of the display section so as to decode the input encoded picture data in the equal size when the picture size of the input encoded picture data is smaller than a size of the second development area, and decode the input encoded picture data in a reduced size when the picture size of the input encoded picture data is larger than the size of the second development area.