Abstract: Digital videocassettes are encoded by punching out breakaway tabs to permit a sensing mechanism on a recorder to identify key characteristics of each cassette. The encoding can be changed when the breakaway tabs are carried by an insert that can be remvably affixed to the cassettes. By employing such an insert, a number of problems are avoided such as possible contamination of the cassette and/or recorder by loose tabs. The tabs of the insert do not need to be breakaway when the inserts are initially formed to provide desired codes.

Abstract: A tape loading apparatus in which a tape is extracted from a tape cassette and wound around a rotary head drum by a pair of tape guide blocks. The tape guide blocks are moved along a pair of guide rails arranged around both sides of the rotary head drum by being driven through a pair of ring gears. At least one of the guide rails is inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis of the rotary head drum in order that the pair of tape guide blocks have a level difference at the tape-loaded positions thereof.A parallel movement mechanism is provided for moving at least one of ring gears along the axis of the rotary head drum so that the level relationships between the tape guide blocks and the ring gears are substantially kept constant while the pair of ring gears rotate in the opposite directions to each other.