Sony Corporation

Takanobu Sano

Takuji Himeno

Katsumi Ikeda

Takashi Katoku

Hiroshi Takahata

A recording and reproducing apparatus for recording and reproducing a data signal on and from a magnetic tape includes a rotary head drum, first and second magnetic heads, third and fourth magnetic heads, a data processor, a data signal decoder, and controller. The magnetic tape is wrapped around the rotary head drum slanted at a predetermined angle. The first and second magnetic heads are provided on the rotary head drum at positions apart from each other by a predetermined rotational angle and have a first azimuth angle. The third and fourth magnetic heads are provided on the rotary head drum at positions apart from each other by a predetermined rotational angle and have a second azimuth angle different from the first azimuth angle. The data processor adds address data to each recording unit of a data signal and outputs the data signal as a recording signal. The data signal decoder decodes the data signal from recorded signals reproduced by the first, second, third, and fourth magnetic heads based on the address data included in the recorded signal. The controller, upon the recording, supplies the recording signal to the first magnetic head and the second magnetic head alternately at each rotation of the rotary head drum to record the same on the magnetic tape and, upon the reproduction, supplies the recorded signals reproduced by the first, second, third, and fourth magnetic heads to the data signal decoding means.

Magnetic tape recording and reproducing apparatus having four heads and

A reproducing device for reproducing information from a tape-shaped recording medium, such as a magnetic tape, in which address information and data are recorded on the recording medium on a plurality of inclined tracks. The address information is composed of a track address and a block address. The reproducing device, which reads and reproduces data from the tape-shaped recording medium includes a reproducing unit, an address extracting unit, a memory, a driving unit and a controller. The reproducing unit reads out data from the tape-shaped reproducing medium for data reproduction. The reproducing unit has a rotary head configured for scanning a plurality of tracks of the tape-shaped recording medium for reading out data from the recording medium. The address extracting unit extracts the address information from data read out by the reproducing unit from one scan of the tape-shaped recording medium by the rotary head. The memory stores data read out from the reproducing unit. The data read out from the reproducing unit is written in the memory based upon the address information extracted by the address extraction unit. The driving unit runs the tape-shaped recording medium. The controller generates read-out addresses for reading out the data stored in the memory. The controller controls the driving unit based upon the address information which is extracted by the address extraction unit and which is associated with pre-set locations on the track of the tape-shaped recording medium.

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Kanagawa, Japan

Takanobu Sano