Method and apparatus for reproducing digital or analog signals

摘要

A tape player includes digital and analog reproducing sections for playing back a magnetic tape having recorded thereon encoded digital data arranged in data blocks and an analog signal running parallel to the digital data. A switching circuit in the digital reproducing section includes an error-detecting circuit that indicates the presence of errors or data drop-outs and a width detector that provides an initial error signal when a predetermined consecutive number of data blocks contain errors or are not being reproduced. A decoder provides decoded digital information and a remaining error signal when an uncorrected error is encountered. The remaining error signal is generated with a predetermined delay after the digital data is read from the tape. If the initial error signal is present when the remaining error signal is generated, an AND circuit and a flip-flop in the switching circuit generate a switching signal to substitute the analog signal for the digital signal.