Identifying, recording and reproducing information

Abstract

A signal processing system comprises a recorder () for recording information signals representing video audio and/or data material on a tape (). The recorder () generates () first material identifiers for identifying respective pieces of material on the medium such that each piece is differentiated from other pieces on the medium, and generates second, universally unique, identifiers for pieces of material, the second identifiers being associated with the first identifiers. The recorder (FIG.) records the material on successive slant tracks. A slant track stores a video timecode. At least one linear track stores a linear track timecode. The timecodes each have a plurality of user-definable bits. The material identifiers () are stored in the user-definable bits of the slant track timecode and in the user-definable bits of the linear track timecode. The identifiers associate the material with metadata objects. The metadata objects are repeatedly recorded (FIG.)on the tape. The metadata objects are recorded a number of times corresponding to the relative importance of the metadata objects. [FIGS.and]