PURPOSE: To estimate a picture element value of a missing picture element more accurately by extracting normal picture elements used for interpolation from every direction of missing picture elements uniformly so as to use a changing inclination of picture element values in both longitudinal and lateral directions for the interpolation.

CONSTITUTION: Coordinates of missing data detected by an error correction decoder 6 are received to check an area of missing data. A picture element in a missing area and a normal reception picture element for interpolation are selected to be a picture element value (g) of the missing picture element and n-sets of normal reception picture elements to surround the picture element (g) are all used. Two normal picture elements are extracted. A point in a 3-dimension space whose coordinate is based on a coordinate of each picture element and its picture element value corresponds to each picture element, and an area of a triangle of three points is obtained as a function of (g). The area is calculated with respect to all values by which the (g) takes and the value (g) minimizing the area is used for a picture element value by the interpolation of the missing picture element (g). The interpolation value of all missing picture elements is calculated by repeating the processing as above.