Video and audio signal recording and/or reproducing apparatus

Claim 2

A video and audio signal recording apparatus comprising: a video block for producing from an input video signal a frequency division multiplexed signal in which a frequency modulated luminance signal and a frequency converted carrier chrominance signal are frequency-division-multiplexed, said frequency converted carrier chrominance signal having been frequency-converted into a frequency band lower than that of said frequency modulated luminance signal; digital audio signal producing means for obtaining digital audio data by pulse code modulating an input analog audio signal and for producing a digital audio signal which is a time-sequence of blocks each having said digital audio data and redundant bits added thereto; modulating means for obtaining an n-value analog signal by subjecting said digital audio signal to a serial-to-parallel conversion and thereafter to a digital-to-analog conversion and for generating an n-value frequency modulated signal having said n-value analog signal as a modulating signal thereof, where n is an integer greater than or equal to three; and recording means comprising rotary magnetic heads for recording said n-value frequency modulated signal and said frequency division multiplexed signal on a magnetic recording medium.

Claim 3

A video and audio signal recording apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said recording means comprises independent rotary heads for independently recording said n-value frequency modulated signal at a deep portion of a magnetic layer of said magnetic recording medium and said frequency division multiplexed signal at a surface portion of the magnetic layer of said magnetic recording medium.

Claim 4

A video and audio signal recording apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said recording means comprises common rotary heads for recording both said n-value frequency modulated signal and said frequency division multiplexed signal on said magnetic recording medium.

Claim 5

A video and audio signal recording apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said modulating means comprises a serial-to-parallel converter for outputting said digital audio signal which is supplied serially thereto as parallel data for every two bits, a digital-to-analog converter for converting a 2-bit parallel output of said serial-to-parallel converter into a 4-value analog signal, and a frequency modulator for generating a 4-value frequency modulated signal by frequency-modulating a carrier by the 4-value analog signal from said digital-to-analog converter.

Claim 6

A video and audio signal recording apparatus as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises a bandpass filter supplied with said n-value frequency modulated signal for supplying a filtered output thereof to said recording means, said bandpass filter having a passband of a width which is approximately 0.7 times a transmission bit rate of said digital audio signal about a carrier frequency of said n-value frequency modulated signal.

Claim 7

A video and audio signal recording and reproducing apparatus comprising: a first video block for producing from an input video signal a frequency division multiplexed signal in which a frequency modulated luminance signal and a frequency converted carrier chrominance signal are frequency-division-multiplexed, said frequency converted carrier chrominance signal having been frequency-converted into a frequency band lower than that of said frequency modulated luminance signal; digital audio signal producing means for obtaining digital audio data by pulse code modulating an input analog audio signal and for producing a digital audio signal which is a time-sequence of blocks each having said digital audio data and redundant bits added thereto; modulating means for obtaining an n-value analog signal by subjecting said digital audio signal to a serial-to-parallel conversion and thereafter to a digital-to-analog conversion and for generating an n-value frequency modulated signal having said n-value analog signal as a modulating signal thereof, where n is an integer greater than or equal to three; recording and reproducing means comprising rotary magnetic heads for recording said n-value frequency modulated signal and said frequency division multiplexed signal on a magnetic recording medium and for reproducing said n-value frequency modulated signal and said frequency division multiplexed signal from said magnetic recording medium; first demodulating means for obtaining said n-value analog signal from said n-value frequency modulated signal reproduced by said recording and reproducing means; second demodulating means for obtaining said digital audio signal by subjecting said n-value analog signal from said first demodulating means to an analog-to-digital conversion so as to obtain a digital signal having a plurality of bits and then to a parallel-to-serial conversion; decoder means for obtaining the original input analog audio signal from said digital audio signal obtained from said second demodulating means; and a second video block for producing the original input video signal from said frequency division multiplexed signal reproduced by said recording and reproducing means.

Claim 8

A video and audio signal recording and reproducing apparatus comprising: a first video block for producing from an input video signal a frequency division multiplexed signal in which a frequency modulated luminance signal and a frequency converted carrier chrominance signal are frequency-division-multiplexed, said frequency converted carrier chrominance signal having been frequency-converted into a frequency band lower than that of said frequency modulated luminance signal; digital audio signal producing means for obtaining digital audio data by pulse code modulating an input analog audio signal and for producing a digital audio signal which is a time-sequence of blocks each having said digital audio data and redundant bits added thereto; modulating means for obtaining an n-value analog signal by subjecting said digital audio signal to a serial-to-parallel conversion and thereafter to a digital-to-analog conversion and for generating an n-value frequency modulated signal having said n-value analog signal as a modulating signal thereof, where n is an integer greater than or equal to three; recording and reproducing means comprising rotary magnetic heads for recording said n-value frequency modulated signal and said frequency division multiplexed signal on a magnetic recording medium and for reproducing said n-value frequency modulated signal and said frequency division multiplexed signal from said magnetic recording medium; first demodulating means for obtaining said n-value analog signal from said n-value frequency modulated signal reproduced by said recording and reproducing means; second demodulating means for obtaining said digital audio signal by subjecting said n-value analog signal from said first demodulating means to an analog-to-digital conversion so as to obtain a digital signal having a plurality of bits and then to a parallel-to-serial conversion; decoder means for obtaining the original input analog audio signal from said digital audio signal obtained from said second demodulating means; and a second video block for producing the original input video signal from said frequency division multiplexed signal reproduced by said recording and reproducing means.

Claim 9

A video and audio signal recording and reproducing apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which said recording and reproducing means comprises independent rotary heads for independently recording and reproducing said n-value frequency modulated signal at a deep portion of a magnetic layer of said magnetic recording medium and said frequency division multiplexed signal at a surface portion of the magnetic layer of said magnetic recording medium.

Claim 10

A video and audio signal recording and reproducing apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which said recording and reproducing means comprises common rotary heads for recording and reproducing both said n-value frequency modulated signal and said frequency division multiplexed signal on said magnetic recording medium.

Claim 11

A video and audio signal recording and reproducing apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which said modulating means comprises a serial-to-parallel converter for outputting said digital audio signal which is supplied serially thereto as parallel data for every two bits, a digital-to-analog converter for converting a 2-bit parallel output of said serial-to-parallel converter into a 4-value analog signal, and a frequency modulator for generating a 4-value frequency modulated signal by frequency-modulating a carrier by the 4-value analog signal from said digital-to-analog converter.

Claim 12

A video and audio signal recording and reproducing apparatus as claimed in claim 6 which further comprises a bandpass filter supplied with said n-value frequency modulated signal from said modulating means for supplying a filtered output thereof to said recording and reproducing means, said bandpass filter having a passband of a width which is approximately 0.7 times a transmission bit rate of said digital audio signal about a carrier frequency of said n-value frequency modulated signal.

Claim 13

A video and audio signal recording and reproducing apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which said second demodulating means comprises an analog-to-digital converter for converting a 4-value analog signal from said first demodulating means into a parallel 2-bit digital signal, and a parallel-to-serial converter for converting said 2-bit digital signal into said digital audio signal by performing a parallel-to-serial conversion.