Abstract: A sound recording apparatus for use in video tape recorders, for equalizing a sound signal before the sound signal is recorded onto a recording medium includes an operational amplifier where the sound signal is inputted to its first input terminal, a feedback resistor connected to an output terminal and a second input terminal of the operational amplifier, and a simulated inductor circuit connected to the second input terminal of the operational amplifier. The simulated inductor circuit has a buffer where a predetermined bias is provided to its input. Between an output of the buffer and the second input terminal of the operational amplifier is connected an impedance network whose circuit constant is switched by a switch which operates according to a recording speed mode of the video tape recorder. This switching changes an equalizing characteristic of the amplifier.

Abstract: In a video signal recording/reproducing apparatus for emphasizing an input video signal, recording by adding an additional signal necessary for recording, and de-emphasizing when reproducing, the emphasis processing is stopped on the time axis in a period in which the additional signal is to be added. Besides, by adding an additional signal before emphasis processing, the waveform deterioration in the end portion of the effective period occurring due to the addition of additional signal after emphasis processing is decreased, and a favorable waveform reproduction is realized over the entire period of the effective portions.

Abstract: A crosstalk detector for detecting the crosstalk of signals optically read from a recording medium having a plurality of tracks. The read signal levels between adjacent tracks at the positions where crosstalk detecting signals are recorded are compared and used to calculate a quantity of crosstalk of the read signals.

Abstract: An apparatus for recording a video signal onto tracks of a recording tape includes circuitry for producing a first time-base reference signal which is a color burst signal composed of a first predetermined number of sinewave cycles and a second time-base reference signal which is a burst signal composed of a second predetermined number of sinewave signals. The second predetermined number of cycles is larger than the first predetermined number of cycles. The apparatus further includes superimposing circuitry for superimposing the first time base reference signal on an input video signal at intervals of a horizontal scanning period of the video signal and for superimposing the second time base reference signal on the input video signal at intervals of a predetermined number of horizontal scanning periods of the video signal.

Abstract: A dropout compensation device includes a plurality of video signal storage devices, e.g., capacitors, for storing video signals to be displayed, a dropout detection circuit for detecting video signal dropout, and a circuit for interrupting the supply of video signals to the storage circuits whenever a dropout is detected, with the display continuing in accordance with what is already stored, e.g., from the previous line of video before the dropout was detected.

Abstract: An optical disc reproducing apparatus in which the type of the optical discs 2 is discriminated by a disc type discriminating device, the function of a pointing device 74 is displayed by a plurality of light emitting diodes 77 provided in the pointing device and in which a controller performs a switching control of the function display by the light emitting diodes 77 depending on the type of the optical disc 2 indicated by a discriminating output of the disc type discriminating device so that the operability of the CD-I player may be improved because the functions of the pointing device associated with the types of the optical discs to be reproduced are displayed by a display device provided in the pointing device.

Abstract: A video signal recording and reproducing system enables recording and reproducing of a video signal with high quality. The system includes a recording system for recording the video signal on a record medium by means of a median filter and a reproducing system for reproducing the video signal from the record medium. The recording system separates a brightness signal and a color signal from an interlaced scanning signal. The recording system divides picture elements of each line into two phases by sorting the elements such that an element is put into one phase and the next element into the other. The recording system then carries out two-dimensional subsampling to the brightness signal and the color signal to reduce the amount of data. Then, the recording system compresses and time-division multiplexes the brightness signal and the color signal to provide a video signal to be recorded onto a record medium.

Abstract: In an apparatus for optically recording data on and reproducing it from an optical disk, the level of a laser beam in reproducing mode is subjected to feedback control and the level of a laser beam in recording mode is controlled in accordance with the output of a capacitor which stores the level of the laser beam in reproducing mode. This apparatus monitors the output of a photodetector in a feedback circuit, which receives reflection light from the optical disk, and disables emission of a laser beam when a predetermined amount of light is not detected in recording or reproducing mode.

Abstract: A self-timing optic lathe, comprising a turntable for rotating an object disc, an offset code track carried by the turntable and embodying an encoded control signal, a read laser for optically reading the encoded control signal from the code track, a write laser for optically recording an information signal on the object disc, an optical carriage for moving the write laser and the read laser in a radial direction across the turntable relative to the code track, and a timing and control circuit connected to the write laser and the read laser for reading the control signal and in response controlling rotation of the turntable and operation of the write laser to record the information signal independently of the speed of rotation of the turntable.

Abstract: An HDTV signal (dot density: 2N dots/line) is converted into a luminance signal and a line sequential color signal, and the resulting signals are both subjected to vertical interpolation and vertical filtering to derive a sequential scanning luminance signal and a sequential scanning color signal. The resulting sequential scanning luminance signal and sequential scanning color signal are subjected to frame thinning to reduce the frequency thereof to a half. Then, subsampling is performed to reduce the dot density to N dots/line. Next, dot rearranging for distributing adjacent dots to adjacent lines is performed to double the number of frames, whereby the dot density of each frame is reduced to N/2 dots/line. These consequently derived frames are encoded for recording. In this manner, the frequency bandwidth required to a recording medium for recording HDTV signals can be reduced.

Abstract: A portable video camera and recording apparatus is comprised of a video camera section and a recording section. The video camera section is comprised of a CCD, analogue-to-digital converters for converting signals from the CCD into digital form. The digital signals are then processed, converted into analogue form, processed in analog form, and then output as the composite video signal. A digital luminance signal and either a digital composite color signal or a plurality of digital color difference signals are received as inputs into the recording section. If the digital composite color signal is received, then the signals are time-base-compressed, converted into analogue form, the composite color signal is frequency converted and filtered and the luminance signal is frequency modulated and filtered. Next, the signals are added together and recorded onto a recording medium.

Abstract: A portable video camera and recording apparatus is comprised of a video camera section and a recording section. The video camera section is comprised of a CCD, analogue-to-digital converters for converting signals from the CCD into digital form. The digital signals are then processed, converted into analogue form, processed in analog form, and then output as the composite video signal. A digital luminance signal and either a digital composite color signal or a plurality of digital color difference signals are received as inputs into the recording section. If the digital composite color signal is received, then the signals are time-base-compressed, converted into analogue form, the composite color signal is frequency converted and filtered and the luminance signal is frequency modulated and filtered. Next, the signals are added together and recorded onto a recording medium.

Abstract: An optical head apparatus wherein a lens holder which holds an objective lens for condensing a light beam on an optical recording medium is turned in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the objective lens and one portion of construction members of turning unit for performing a tracking control for the optical recording medium is fixed to a fixed body. One or some of construction members of the turning unit for tracking control is not mounted to a moving body for supporting the lens holder but is mounted to the fixed body, as a result, weight of a movable unit including the moving body and its loading members is to be reduced to realize high-speed access with respect to the optical recording medium.

Abstract: A reserved recording method and apparatus performs reserved recording based upon the contents of programs. When program information is reserved, a block number denoting the class of the program is stored in a memory. Then, after receiving current time information through a timer, when the current time is the pre-programmed recording time, the initial program is recorded and the existence of program information having the same block number is checked. If a program of the same block number exists, the pre-programmed time of this program is compared with those of programs having other block numbers, so that a fast-forward operation is performed for as long as the predetermined tape length of the program of the same block number when a program of another block number is earlier. Then, a program of another block number is recorded at the corresponding pre-programmed time.

Abstract: An automatic control system for tracking servo unbalance of optical disc player, which comprises first and second variable gain amplifiers, first and second photodetectors, a differential amplifier having resistors and capacitor, a direct current detector, a digital storing unit having an A/D/ converter, a ROM, a D/A converter, and an analog switch whereby the tracking servo unbalance is automatically eliminated upon manufacturing a CD player as well as the direct current detector and digital storing unit can be integrated so that cost is down and improvement of reliability is obtained.

Abstract: A personal customized video recording 10 is described along with the process and apparatus for producing such a recording. The recording has the desired length which includes a desired sequence of personal image segments 34 that are taken from a series of still photographs 12 of a featured person. A personal image video tape 14 is produced which is utilized in conjunction with a scenic image video storage medium or tape 16. Additionally a prerecorded audio musical storage medium or tape 18 is utilized. All three of the mediums 14, 16, and 18 are placed in recorders and operated in real time continuously and without interruption to produce a composite master video recording of the desired length. A vast majority of the scenic images are interleaved between the personal images. A majority of the personal images and a majority of the scenic images appear to have movement utilizing zoom/panning techniques.

Abstract: A recording and reproducing device, which records and reproduces information on and from a rewritable recording medium having absolute addresses and including an information recording area wherein information entered from external devices is recorded and a Table of Contents area wherein additional address information with respect to the information recorded in the information recording area is recorded. The TOC area contains the absolute addresses of the recording positions of each information recorded in the information recording area. A display section graphically and independently displays the recorded and unrecorded ranges of the information recording area according to the absolute addresses recorded in the TOC area with respect to the recording positions of each piece of information.

Abstract: A television signal having a luminance spectrum extending from zero to f.sub.h in horizontal spatial frequencies and from zero to f.sub.v in vertical spatial frequencies is recorded on a video tape. A folded-spectrum signal is generated for recording by modulating the luminance signal onto a folding carrier of (f.sub.h /2, f.sub.v /2) complex spatial frequency. This is done by heterodyning the luminance signal with a folding carrier wave and then selecting as said folded-spectrum signal only the baseband portion of the resulting signal. At least when there is change between successive television images, the luminance signal is pre-filtered by a low-pass spatial filter that separates the two-dimensional image spectral domain into a pass band region and into an attenuation band region. Each point in the passed region has a corresponding mirror point in the attenuated region as mirrored about a complex spatial frequency (f.sub.h /4, f.sub.v /4) in both horizontal and vertical directions.

Abstract: In an optical system, a light beam reflected from an information recording medium is guided to a combination of first and second prisms. The first prism is made of optically anisotropic material and second prism is made of optically isotropic material. The light beam incident on the first prism is separated ordinary light rays and extraordinary light rays and the ordinary and extraordinary light rays are guided in different directions in the first and second prisms. Both of the ordinary and extraordinary light rays are detected so that information is reproduced in response to the light rays.

Abstract: An optical head includes an objective lens for converging a light beam emitted from a light source onto a rotating recording medium, a carriage for holding the objective lens, a fine adjusting device for finely moving the carriage along an optical axis of the objective lens and/or a tracking direction and a movable head portion. The movable head portion is provided with a first opening facing the objective lens and a second opening connected to the first opening. The second opening is located off the optical path and has a dust filter mounted therein. Such a construction of the optical head prevents dust or the like from entering into the inside of the optical head due to the negative pressure generated upon rotation of the recording medium.