Magnetic recording disk and apparatus with slow motion mode

Abstract

Apparatus for recording on and reproducing signals from a magnetic disk having the capability of reproducing the signals in a slow motion operation with a desirable signal-to-noise ratio. The magnetic disk has a thin non-magnetic carrier and magnetic anisotropic, ferromagnetic, acicular particles bonded to the carrier and magnetically oriented substantially parallel to each other and to the surface of the disk. The apparatus includes a first transducer for recording the signals, such as video signals, on a spiral track on the disk. During a normal playback mode, this first transducer reproduces the recorded signals from the spiral track. During a slow motion playback mode the first transducer scans a second spiral track across the record disk which generally, but not precisely, corresponds to the recorded spiral track. Nevertheless, there are some portions of the second spiral track which substantially correspond, or more closely coincide, with the recorded spiral track than do other portions of the second spiral track. These more closely coinciding portions of the second spiral track have a predetermined relationship with respect to the magnetically oriented particles of the record disk so that the response of the signal reproduced by the first transducer as it scans along the second spiral track is uniform for both the more closely coinciding portions and the other portions of the second spiral track. In addition, a second transducer is provided for re-recording the reproduced signals in a predetermined track on the record disk, at least during a slow motion playback mode and these re-recorded signals are played back and displayed as a slow motion video picture.