Abstract: A storage and retrieval mechanism for a digital image processing system employs a reduced capacity frame store in the playback device. A plurality of photographic images captured on a photographic recording medium are digitized for processing and subsequent display. Digitized images are stored on a compact disc. When the disc is inserted into a playback device for driving a color TV monitor, the playback device decodes header information representative of image orientation, so that the image will be read from the disc and stored in the reduced capacity frame store for subsequent read out and display in an upright orientation. A memory control mechanism employs a decimation/interpolation operator to interface the imagery data from the disc to the frame store.