It becomes possible to generate an index information used as an auxiliary upon edition on a recording medium where video information is recorded to record it on a recording medium, and to select a picture matched with a desired condition from the video information recorded on the recording medium to generate the index picture information.The controller 35 reads a time code of a mark-in point from a cassette attached memory 16, reproduces the picture of the mark-in point matched with the desired condition as an index picture and supplies the reproduced signal from a video signal compression coding/decoding unit 40 to an index generating unit 40. The index generating unit 40 compresses and reduces the index picture and arranges a plurality of pictures in one frame, thereby generating an index picture information. The index generating unit 40 outputs the index pictures to record them on the video tape 27.