Helical scan wide band tape recorder apparatus and method

Claim 2

Apparatus for recording a television signal having a plurality of fields each including a plurality of horizontal lines as a plurality of tracks on a width of magnetic tape comprising: means receiving said television signal for providing a carrier signal having an instantaneous frequency deviating from about 9 to 12 MHz modulated in accordance with said television signal, helical scanner assembly means including a rotating member carrying at least two video recording heads, means for applying said modulated carrier signal to said recording heads, means for transporting said magnetic tape past said scanner assembly means in an omega wrap configuration and, means for controlling said helical scanner assembly means and said transporting means to record said plurality of tracks on said width of magnetic tape, each of said tracks carrying substantially a predetermined fraction of horizontal lines of a complete video field.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said rotating member carries two video recording heads spaced substantially 180* apart on said rotating member.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the width of tape occupied by the television signals is less than the full physical width of the tape and further comprising means for longitudinally recording information of said magnetic tape along the portion of the tape not occupied by the television signal tracks.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said means for longitudinally recording information comprises means for recording at least one audio channel and one control track channel.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said means for longitudinally recording information comprises means for recording two wide response audio channels, one narrow response audio cue channel, one control track channel and one address code channel.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said means for transporting said magnetic tape past said scanner assembly means includes means for transporting said magnetic tape at a longitudinal speed of about 8 inches per second.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said means for controlling includes means for providing a relative speed between said video recording heads and said magnetic tape of about 1,500 inches per second.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said helical scanner assembly means includes means for rotating said rotating member at a rotational rate of about 9,000 revolutions per minute.

Claim 10

The combination of claim 2 wherein the apparatus is also for playing back a recorded video signal in a playback operation mode, said video recording heads functioning to play back recorded video signals, the combination further comprising means connected to said video heads in said playback mode for switching between said heads in a predetermined sequence to provide a reconstructed carrier signal, and means for demodulating said reconstructed carrier signal to provide a television signal substantially in accordance with said recorded television signal.

Claim 11

The combination of claim 9 further comprising means for adjusting the chroma burst amplitude of the video signal from one head to match the chroma burst level from the other head.

Claim 12

The combination of claim 9 wherein the predetermined sequence for switching between the heads provides that adjacent horizontal lines in a played back NTSC television signal are derived from alternate heads.

Claim 13

The combination of claim 9 wherein the predetermined sequence for switching between heads provides that adjacent horizontal lines in a played back PAL or SECAM television signal are not derived from alternate heads.

Claim 14

The combination of claim 9 further comprising an erase head carried by said rotating member and dimensioned to erase two video tracks per pass.

Claim 15

The combination of claim 9 wherein an NTSC signal is recorded and wherein said predetermined fraction of horizontal lines is about one fifth of the horizontal lines for each video field and wherein said switching means includes means for dividing each video frame into consecutivE segments of 53, 52, 53, 52, 52, 53, 52, 53, 52 and 53 horizontal lines.

Claim 16

The combination of claim 9 wherein a PAL or SECAM signal is recorded and wherein said predetermined fraction of horizontal lines is about one sixth of the horizontal lines for each video field and wherein said switching means includes means for dividing each video frame into 11 consecutive segments of 52 horizontal lines followed by one segment of 53 horizontal lines.

Claim 17

A process for recording information onto a magnetic tape longitudinally transported in an omega wrap configuration around a helical scanner assembly comprising modulating a carrier signal having an instantaneous frequency deviation from about 9 to 12 MHz with a television signal, recording the modulated carrier signal onto a series of substantially parallel tracks forming an angle of about 19.55* to the edge of the tape, said tracks each having a length of about 5.24 inches and lying within less than the full tape latitudinal width, and recording a plurality of tracks parallel to the edge of the tape in the area not occupied by said modulated carrier signal tracks.

Claim 18

A process for recording information onto a magnetic tape longitudinally transported in an omega wrap configuration around a helical scanner assembly comprising modulating a carrier signal having an instantaneous frequency deviation from about 9 to 12 MHz with a television signal, recording the modulated carrier signal onto a series of substantially parallel tracks forming an angle of about 19.55* to the edge of the tape, said tracks each having a length of about 5.24 inches and lying within less than the full tape latitudinal width, and recording a plurality of tracks parallel to the edge of the tape in the area not occupied by said modulated carrier signal tracks.

Claim 19

The process of claim 16 wherein the step of recording tracks parallel to the edge of the tape includes the step of recording two wide response audio channels, one narrow response audio channel, one control track channel and one address code channel.

Claim 20

An article of manufacture comprising a magnetic recording tape having a latitudinal width of about 2 inches, said tape having a plurality of information bearing areas and blank guard band areas, said information bearing areas and blank guard band areas arranged as follows fron one longitudinal edge of the tape to the other: a substantially 5 mil guard band parallel to said longitudinal edge, a substantially 50 mil audio track parallel to the longitudinal edge, a substantially 20 mil guard band parallel to the longitudinal edge, a substantially 20 mil audio track parallel to the longitudinal edge, a substantially 20 mil guard band parallel to the longitudinal edge, a substantially 50 mil audio band parallel to the longitudinal edge, a substantially 10 mil guard band parallel to the longitudinal edge, an area of about 1.755 inch latitudinal width parallel to said longitudinal edge having a plurality of parallel substantially 6 mil video tracks spaced by substantially 3 mil guard bands all forming an angle of about 19.55* to the longitudinal tape edge, said video tracks each having a length of about 5.24 inches, a substantially 10 mil guard band parallel to said longitudinal edge, a substantially 20 mil control track parallel to said longitudinal edge, a substantially 15 mil guard band parallel to said longitudinal edge, a substantially 20 mil address code parallel to said longitudinal edge and a substantially 5 mil guard band parallel to said longitudinal edge.

Claim 21

An article of manufacture comprising a magnetic recording tape having a latitudinal width of about 2 inches, said tape having a plurality of information bearing areas and blank guard band areas, said information bearing areas and blank guard band areas arranged as follows fron one longitudinal edge of the tape to the other: a substantially 5 mil guard band parallel to said longitudinal edge, a substantially 50 mil audio track parallel to the longitudinal edge, a substantially 20 mil guard band parallel to the longitudinal edge, a substantially 20 mil audio track parallel to the longitudinal edge, a substantially 20 mil guard band parallel to the longitudinal edge, a substantially 50 mil audio band parallel to the longitudinal edge, a substantially 10 mil guard band parallel to the longitudinal edge, an area of about 1.755 inch latitudinal width parallel to said longitudinal edge having a plurality of parallel substantially 6 mil video tracks spaced by substantially 3 mil guard bands all forming an angle of about 19.55* to the longitudinal tape edge, said video tracks each having a length of about 5.24 inches, a substantially 10 mil guard band parallel to said longitudinal edge, a substantially 20 mil control track parallel to said longitudinal edge, a substantially 15 mil guard band parallel to said longitudinal edge, a substantially 20 mil address code parallel to said longitudinal edge and a substantially 5 mil guard band parallel to said longitudinal edge.