Video tape recorder for intermittent recording and having rotary heads

Abstract

In a video tape recorder capable of recording information for a long time, first and second rotary heads are angularly spaced by 180.degree. and are arranged without a step between their respective planes of rotation. In a frame recording operation, an odd field of a frame is recorded by the first head in a first track on the tape while the latter is in a stationary condition and an even field of the same frame is stored in a field memory, whereupon, the tape is intermittently driven a distance corresponding to the track pitch and then, while the tape is again in its stationary condition, the stored even field is read from the memory and recorded by the second head in a second track adjacent the first track. In a frame still reproducing operation, with the tape in its stationary condition, the odd field recorded in the first track is reproduced by the first head and stored in the memory, and then the tape is advanced one track pitch and with the tape again in its stationary condition the second head repeatedly reproduces the even field recorded in the second track in interleaved relation with the stored odd field repeatedly read from the memory. In an alternative field still reproducing operation, one of the odd and even fields is repeatedly reproduced by the respective one of the rotary heads during scanning of the respective one of the tracks with the tape in it its stationary condition and is stored in the memory, whereupon, that one field stored in the memory is repeatedly read therefrom during scanning of that one track by the other rotary head, and the field repeatedly read from the memory is interleaved with the same field repeatedly reproduced from the tape.