Abstract: Rather than the prior art practice of magnetically recording with a relatively long record gap, the disclosed invention teaches the use of a magnetic record gap length of less than 15.mu.". Such a record gap length provides improved performance in a variety of recorders.

Abstract: An off-the-air color video recorder employs frequency interleaved chroma and luminance signal information for purposes of bandwidth compression. During playback, the interleaved luminance and chroma signal information are combed apart, the luminance signal information, however, being subjected to at least one additional stage of comb filtering, preferably limited to that part of the playback spectrum containing the interleaved signal information. With such a technique, playback luminance signal information is comprised of two spectrum parts, one being, say, half the signal resolution of the other.

Abstract: A color video recorder/reproducer records wide bandwidth luminance information alternately with narrow bandwidth luminance information plus chrominance information for the transmitted lines of a television picture frame. Before recording, the chrominance information is frequency converted to occupy a frequency band substantially adjacent to the frequency band occupied by the narrow bandwidth luminance information. Upon playback, the frequency converted chrominance information is separated from the narrow bandwidth luminance information and converted to its originally occupied frequency band. A video signal is then reconstructed by combining the signal recorded for a given line with a complementary portion of the signal recorded for the preceding line. Upon display of a picture thus produced, an artifact pattern is observed. The present invention recognizes the source of this artifact pattern to be the imperfect separation of the narrow bandwidth luminance information from the chrominance information.

Abstract: Precision-lapped pieces of ceramic and ferrite are stacked together with pieces of ceramic-convertible glass. Firing of the stack causes the glass to devitrify and results in a comb-less track array assembly having precise track and track-to-track dimensions. The assembly is then processed to form part of a magnetic record and/or reproduce head.

Abstract: A wholly self-contained video camera is disclosed as being cartridge-loaded with magnetic tape for picture taking. Sweep rates for the camera sensor are slaved to the tape drive of the camera; and little or no speed regulation is associated with the camera tape drive. The tape employed in the camera has a pre-recorded signal which is detected for sweep rate control purposes. Playback of video information recorded by the camera is accomplished by running the tape during playback at the "pre-record" speed.

Abstract: Time base instability of signals in a train thereof is corrected by use of analog shift registers. As employed in the correction of time base instability of video signals, paired analog shift registers are used. While one register has samples of one video line signal clocked into it at a rate corresponding to its time base instability, the other register clocks out, at a uniform rate, analog signals of the previous line, and vice versa.