U.S. Philips Corporation

Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Franz Kuchar

Adolf Proidl

Makoto Asano

Abraham Hoogendoorn

Werner Bl&uuml;mel

A processor for analog and digital audio, video, and control information has analog connections to supply analog A/V signals and output control information to a television set. At the beginning of a recording mode in the DVHS video recorder, when an A/V signal (which may be a processed digital reception signal) of a television program just being displayed on the television set is applied to the television set, the signal is supplied to the DVHS video recorder as an A/V signal via an analog connection and/or as digital A/V data via a digital connection. An A/V signal of a television program being displayed on the television set and supplied by its tuner is transferred from one analog connection to another analog connection from the beginning of a recording mode in the DVHS video recorder, as a result of which the A/V signal is recorded by the DVHS video recorder.

Set top box which enables television program displayed on a television set to be recorded by means of a video recorder

A method of and a device for determining the total playing time of a magnetic tape accommodated in a cassette (1) in a magnetic-tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus, for example, a video recorder of the helical-scan type. The tape (4) is moved between a tape spool coupled to a first reel disc (2) and a tape spool coupled to a second reel disc (3), two measurements being carried out. In the first measurement, the tape is moved with a known tape speed. The revolution times (T.sub.l, T.sub.r) of the first and the second reel disc are measured in this first measurement and a parameter is derived which corresponds to the sum of the squares of the revolution times. A cassette-specific constant (.beta.) is derived from this parameter and the known tape speed. In a second measurement, the revolution times of the first and the second reel disc are measured during N revolutions of one of the two reel discs for each revolution of this reel disc. For each revolution, a ratio K(n) is calculated from the revolution times thus determined and the cassette-specific constant, K(n) being proportional to L(n)/L.sub.t and L.sub.t being the total length of the tape and L(n) being either the length already used or the residual length of the tape, where n is an integer and 1.ltoreq.n.ltoreq.N. In an approximation, the N calculated ratios K(n) are approximated by an at least quadratic function in dependence on n and the total playing time is determined from a constant A in the function (K(n)=X+A.multidot.n+B.multidot.n.sup.2 + . . . ) thus obtained.

Device for determining the total playing of a tape

A system (1) for reproducing picture signals from a record carrier (3) in the form of a tape on which the reproduced picture signals are stored in juxtaposed inclined tracks comprises a character generator (23) for inserting character signals into reproduced picture signals. The character generator (23) is enabled to insert character signals depending on a starting-pulse edge (S1 S2, S3) generated by means of a control device (25), which edge is generated at a time interval from a position-pulse edge (P1, P2, P3) which is each time generated by means of a pulse generating device (11) at the beginning of the scan of an inclined track. The line pulses (H) extracted from the reproduced picture signals are applied to the control device (25), which comprises a detector device (35) for detecting in each picture signal the same number line pulse, and the control device (25) generates the starting-pulse edge for the character generator (23) depending on each time the same detected line pulse, which ensures that insertion of the character signals by this generator is always started at the same line.

System for reproducing picture signals and inserting character signals

A system (1) for reproducing information signals recorded on a magnetic tape (2) in oblique tracks (S) in different modes of operation with different tape speeds v(n) includes a tape drive device (13), which is switchable in respect of the tape speed, at least one magnetic head (K1, K2), which is rotatable by a head drive device (32), which is switchable as regards the speed of rotation, and a tracking servo system (41) for guiding said head along the tracks, and including a sawtooth generator (67) whose signal waveform is variable in order to generate a sawtooth-shaped control signal. In the case of a change of mode, the tape drive device (13), the sawtooth generator (67) and the head drive device (32) are set to different operating values by a switching device (12). The switching device (12) includes a stepping signal generator (91) for generating control signals (TW(n), DS(n), TV(n)) which are supplied incrementally in a plurality of steps and which change in value upon every step during a change of mode, by which control signals, the tape drive device (13), the sawtooth generator (67) and the head drive device (32) can be switched over stepwise in stages defined by the values of the control signals in order to ensure an undisturbed reproduction of the information signals in the case of a change of mode.

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Vienna, Austria

Franz Kuchar