Hitachi, Ltd.

Kouji Kaniwa

Hideo Nishijima

Hiroya Abe

Kouji Minabe

Yoshio Narita

Teruo Hoshi

Toshio Nakamoto

Katsuyuki Watanabe

Hiroyuki Torii

Hiroo Okamoto

Hiroaki Ono

Takao Arai

Hitoaki Owashi

Takaharu Noguchi

Nobutaka Amada

Kouji Fujita

Koichi A Ono

Nobuyuki Kaku

Keizo Nishimura

Shigemitsu Higuchi

Yukinobu Tada

Michio Sagawa

An apparatus for recording/reproducing video and audio signals on/from a recording medium includes a first and second tuner which receive a video signal of a first and second format transmitted by broadcasting, respectively; a recorder which records the video signal of the first format from the first tuner on the recording medium; a reproducer which reproduces the video signal of the first format from the recording medium; and a decoder which decodes the video signal of first format from the reproducer and converts the decoded signal to another video signal of the second format. A switching circuit is provided which selects one of the another video signal of the second format and the video signal of the second format as a selected video signal, and a video output terminal outputs the selected video signal through an on-screen display unit.

Digital/analog compatible video tape recorder

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.

A magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus arranged to use a magnetic tape. The apparatus operates to derive the current taken-up position of the magnetic tape from the signals that are proportional to the rotation frequencies of a capstan motor, a supply reel and a take-up reel. Only when the taken-up position is near the tape end, the apparatus activates LEDs (light emitting elements) for sensing the tape end and photo-transistors (light receiving elements), for sensing the tape end.

Magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus arranged to save electric power consumed in detecting tape end and reduce load on microprocessor

A VTR compatible with the current analog VTR and capable of recording and reproducing digital signals, determines the presence or absence of recorded digital signals and selects an operating mode for recording and reproducing in accordance therewith.

Magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus arranged to save electric

A tracking apparatus for a helical scan magnetic recording/reproducing system includes a rotation speed controller for controlling the rotation speed of a capstan motor which transports a magnetic tape, a speed deviation generator for applying a deviation to the rotation speed, an envelope level detector for detecting the envelope level of a reproduced signal, a memory for storing the value of detection by the envelope level detector, and an envelope level comparator for comparing envelope levels before and after the deviation is applied to the rotation speed, whereby the rotation of the capstan motor is controlled so that the envelope level becomes a value in the vicinity of a maximum value. The tracking apparatus further includes a steady speed deviation detector for detecting a steady speed deviation between a recording apparatus and a reproducing apparatus, and a steady speed deviation corrector for correcting the detected speed deviation.

Recording and reproducing apparatus including a tracking apparatus with

A VTR compatible with the current analog VTR and capable of recording and reproducing digital signals identifies the type of a tape cassette by the presence or absence of a cassette identification hole formed in a digital recording tape cassette determines tape speed for a recording mode on the basis of the ratio between the frequency of a control signal and the rotating speed of a capstan motor, determines the presence or absence of recorded digital signals through the synchronous detection of reproduced output, and decides the mode for recording and reproducing on the basis of those decisions. Thus, the automatic discrimination between the analog mode and the digital mode can be achieved and erroneous operations, such as an erroneous erasing operation can be prevented.

A VCR integrally provided with a camera (camcorder) stops power supply at a non-recording mode for reducing power consumption. The camcorder is arranged to have power control units and a switch for controlling the start or the end of the recording operation and the power-on or power-off of at least one or more of a camera section, a VCR section and a display section, a time measuring unit, and a control unit for starting the recording unit a predetermined time later than when the camera section starts to pick up an image sequence and the image sequence appears on an electronic viewfinder or the like. Further, the camcorder includes units for moving a zoom lens to a Wide-terminal when powered off, when powered on or a predetermined time later than when powered off. Moreover, there are provided units for overlapping text information with the image sequence appearing on the electronic viewfinder. These units display a time left until the recording start. The camcorder further provides units for varying a predetermined time left until the recording start and units for selecting a moving timing on which the zoom lens is moved to the Wide-terminal so that the user may freely set the predetermined time and the moving timing.

Camcorder and controller

An information recording and reproduction apparatus for recording and reproducing the information supplied through the transmission line is capable of protecting the copyright by limiting the reproduction of the recorded information. A main information signal supplied through the transmission line and a deadline signal attached to the main information signal and representing the reproduction deadline of the main information signal are recorded and reproduced by a recording device and a reproduction device respectively. A temporal information signal representing the date and time is acquired. The deadline signal reproduced is compared with the temporal information signal acquired. The reproduction output of the main information signal is cut off in accordance with the comparison signal produced by the comparison. In the case where the temporal information has passed the deadline, the reproduction output of the main information signal is cut off.

Information recording and reproduction apparatus to be controlled by

A capstanless tape feed control system of a reel-drive type is capable of accurately detecting the respective working radii of a supply reel and a take-up reel and the total length of the tape, of efficiently controlling tape speed and of preventing damage to the tape. The tape feed control system calculates the working radii of the supply reel and the take-up reel and the total length of the tape while the leading end of the tape is moving toward the take-up reel, and detects tape speed on the basis of data representing the total length of the tape and the radius ratio between the supply reel and the take-up reel. The tension of the tape and the reel driving torque are detected while the tape is being fed and the working radii of the supply reel and the take-up reel are calculated on the basis of the tension and the reel driving torque. A tape loading operation and a tape unloading operation are performed after the leading end of the tape has been pulled out from the take-up reel, with the supply reel being held stationary and a predetermined back tension being applied to the tape by the take-up reel.

Tape feed control system

A tracking method and apparatus used in a helical scan magnetic recording/reproducing system is based on an automatic tracking control using an envelope detection signal of a reproduced signal. The tracking apparatus is provided with a circuit for controlling the rotation speed of a capstan motor which transports a magnetic tape, a level comparing circuit for making the comparison for the level of an envelope signal of the reproduced signal, a circuit for applying a predetermined deviation to the rotation speed in accordance with the result of comparison, a circuit for detecting a steady speed deviation between a recording apparatus and a reproducing apparatus from a speed deviation signal generated in the process of the automatic tracking control, and a circuit for correcting the speed deviation.

Tracking method and apparatus used in helical scan magnetic

A motor speed control device includes a frequency signal generating circuit for generating a frequency signal proportional to a rotation frequency of a motor, a frequency measuring circuit for measuring a frequency of the frequency signal, a speed error signal extracting circuit for extracting a speed error signal by operation comparing the frequency of the frequency signal with a predetermined control target period, a filter circuit for eliminating rotation frequency components of the motor contained in the frequency signal or the speed error signal and harmonic components thereof to output another speed error signal, and a speed error signal feedback circuit for feeding-back negatively the other speed error signal from the filter circuit to the motor, in which owing to the fact that the filter circuit has predetermined transfer functions, it suppresses non-uniform components contained in the speed error signal and the phase error signal due to the frequency signal (DFG signal) proportional to the rotation speed of the drum as well as an addition signal of them.

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Yokohama, Japan

Kouji Kaniwa