The system provides an image information conversion apparatus and method by which picture quality deterioration caused by conversion from inputted MPEG2 image compression information into MPEG4 image compression information to be outputted is prevented. When an I picture of an MPEG2 bit stream is to be converted into a P-VOP of an MPEG4 bit stream based on an estimated value of the complexity for each VOP, a scene change detection section detects whether or not the I picture includes a scene change. If a scene change is detected by the scene change detection section, then a GOV structure determination section determines that conversion of the I picture of the MPEG2 bit stream into a P-VOP of an MPEG4 bit stream should not be performed.