Method and apparatus for reproducing images

A video reproduction method for reproducing video data based on a video bit stream having a plurality of pictures and also having a picture type representing a type of encoding for each of the plurality of pictures, for facilitating image quality adjustment of one or more of the plurality of pictures for facilitating image quality adjustment of one or more of the plurality of pictures, the method comprising:

• a picture type detection step of, while a still picture from said video bit stream is being reproduced, detecting a picture type of a picture, from among the plurality of pictures, corresponding to the still picture;
• a bit rate calculation step of, while the still picture is being reproduced, calculating a number of bits included in the picture corresponding to the still picture, and while a moving picture from said video bit stream is being reproduced, calculating an average bit rate per predetermined time unit, and selecting and outputting either the number of bits included in the picture corresponding to the still picture or the average bit rate per predetermined time unit;
• a video signal generation step of, while the still picture is being reproduced, generating a first bit rate video signal for displaying the picture type detected by the picture type detection step and the number of bits calculated by the bit rate calculation step, and while the moving picture is being reproduced, generating a second bit rate video signal for displaying the average bit rate calculated by the bit rate calculation step;
• a video decoding step of expanding the video bit stream to generate a video signal;
• a video signal addition step of, while the still picture is being reproduced, adding the video signal generated by the video decoding step and the first bit rate video signal generated by the video signal generation step section so that a) the still picture, b) an identification of the picture type of the still picture, and c) a value corresponding to the number of bits of the still picture are displayed simultaneously, and while the moving picture is being reproduced, adding the video signal generated by the video decoding step and the second bit rate video signal generated by the video signal generation step so that the moving picture and the average bit rate are displayed simultaneously.