Digital/analog compatible video tape recorder

摘要

A helical scanning video tape recorder for recording and reproducing video signals and audio signals to/from a magnetic tape. The video tape recorder includes an analog signal reproducing mode in which an FM luminance signal and a down-converted chrominance signal are reproduced from the magnetic tape by a pair of magnetic heads having a first azimuth angle and an FM audio signal is reproduced from a deep layer of the magnetic tape by a pair of magnetic heads having a second azimuth angle, and a digital signal reproducing mode in which a digital signal is reproduced from the magnetic tape by the pair of magnetic heads having the second azimuth angle. The digital signal is converted into a signal having a frequency in a frequency band higher than a frequency of the FM audio is signal. The video type recorder also includes a recording mode detector and a controller.