PURPOSE: To reduce the time required for data transmission by generating and sending plural compressed picture data, sending a desired compressed picture data, applying inter-picture inverse arithmetic processing at a receiver side and obtaining other picture data corresponding to other desired picture.

CONSTITUTION: A picture display device 40 stores a picture other than an initial picture onto an optical disk as a difference picture data SDi with less data quantity, and when a CRT display section 44 displays a visual picture, the first picture data SD1 is read at first and only difference picture data SDi for the other picture data are read. Thus, the readout time is reduced and the time to keep the observer of the picture waiting is less.