DIGITAL SIGNAL RECORDING/REPRODUCING APPARATUS FOR USE WITH DIGITAL SIGNALS HAVING DIFFERENT TRANSMISSION RATES

摘要

Digital signal recording and reproducing apparatus for recording digital signals in successive tracks of given pitch on a record medium and for reproducing digital signals therefrom. A rotary head assembly including two pairs of head subassemblies angularly separated by approximately 180.degree., with each subassembly comprised of a pair of heads displaced from each other in a direction parallel to the track pitch, is driven at a predetermined rotation speed to record digital signals selectively supplied at respectively different original transmission rates which exhibit a predetermined ratio. The digital signals are timebase modified to have substantially the same data rate even though their original transmission rates differ from each other; and are coupled to the rotary head assembly. The record medium is driven during a recording mode at respectively different speeds determined by the original transmission rate of the selectively supplied digital signal, whereby the number of tracks recorded on the record medium during a unit time period T (where T is the time for the rotary head assembly to make a predetermined number of rotations) corresponds to the original transmission rate. The record medium is driven during a reproducing mode at the same speed as was used during recording, whereby during the time period T the rotary head assembly reproduces digital signals from twice the number of tracks that had been recorded during that same time period T. The reproduced digital signals axe recovered substantially without defects at their original transmission rate by way of a memory.