Recording medium reproducing apparatus that identifies a channel of

Abstract

An optical disc reproducing apparatus including an optical head, memory, controller and decoder. The head intermittently reads digital data in at least two channels L, and R recorded on an optical disc. The memory temporarily stores digital data obtained by demodulating the output data of the optical head. The controller controls the reading operation of the optical head on the optical disc based on the amount of the digital data stored in the memory. The controller also controls an operation of writing data into the memory and an operation of reading data from the memory so that the digital data output by the optical head are written into the memory at a transfer rate which is higher than the transfer rate at which the digital signals stored in the memory are read out. The is supplied with the digital data for the two channels stored in the memory on a time-division basis. When data are supplied from the memory to the decoder, the controller supplies the decoder with a channel identification signal for identifying the channel with which the data received by the decoder is associated.