Abstract: Copy protecting television broadcast program signals which are received and recorded in a format that reserves recording areas for accessory information relating to the format and reserves other recording areas for digital image signals. When the input signals received for recording are determined to be television broadcast program signals, a generation limiting signal inserted therein is set to a copy protect state and is recorded to inhibit copying.

Abstract: The broadcast station 1 provides the digital contents to be put on the air with the attributive information of the digital contents thereof. The selective information showing the user's taste is set out in the filter unit 12. The filter unit 12 filters the attributive information on the basis of the selective information to select the digital contents which suits the user's taste among the digital contents which were put on the air. According to the broadcast station 1, the user may listen and view the selected digital contents after recording the digital contents in the recording medium, or the user may listen and view the digital contents which suits the user's taste among the digital contents which were put on the air.

Abstract: A recording and reproducing apparatus according to the invention has: at least a pair of rotary heads having different azimuth angles; a run controller for controlling the run of the magnetic tape; and a recording timing controller for controlling so that the recording by the rotary heads is performed at the first period when digital data having a first data rate is inputted, wherein the digital data is recorded on the magnetic tape at a recording timing. The recording and reproducing apparatus also has a memory for storing the digital data which is supplied from the outside, a reader for reading the digital data stored in the memory, and a signal processor for executing a predetermined process to the digital data read from the memory.

Abstract: A video signal receiver receives a plurality of video channels simultaneously carrying, offset by a transmission interval, a single video program, selects one channel from which to obtain the program for display to a user, and achieves a pause function in the display of the transmitted video program by temporarily storing a segment of the video program equal to the length of the transmission interval and obtaining the remainder of the program at a later time from the same or another channel.

Abstract: A video signal is processed to selectively permit copying by superposing in that portion of the video signal which does not contain useful picture information a copyright information signal indicative of whether the viewable picture that is displayed from the video signal is subject to copyright and a copy generation signal indicative of the number of successive generations of copies that can be made from the video signal.

Abstract: Rotary head recording and/or reproducing apparatus in which respective oblique tracks on a record medium are scanned, each track having an information signal area in which information data is recorded and a track following area in which a tracking control pilot signal is recorded. The track following area precedes the information signal area; and in the preferred embodiment, an additional track following area follows the information signal area. The pilot signal is recorded in only a portion of the track following area, the remainder of which has timing sync data recorded therein. In an after-recording mode the timing sync data is reproduced, detected and used as a reference to define an after-record area.

Abstract: The television signal recording/reproducing system digitally records and reproduces television signals composed of a luminance signal, a chrominance signal and a resolution compensation signal included in predetermined television scanning lines. The system includes a Y/C separating circuit for separating the luminance signal Y from the chrominance signal C. The luminance signal Y and the resolution compensation signal are combined onto a first signal line. A demodulating circuit demodulates the chrominance signal into a color difference signal and outputs the demodulated signal to a second signal line. A digital video signal recorder digitally process the signals on the first signal line separately from the signals on the second signal line and records the digitally processed signals. In this manner, the resolution compensation signal is processed with the luminance signal and the resolution compensation signal can be accurately recorded.

Abstract: Recording and reproducing a television signal with a DC shifter prevents compression distortion of a PAL plus television signal. The PAL plus television signal includes a vertical resolution signal for enhancing vertical resolution which vertical resolution signal is included in the same compression blocks as some of the component video signals. Such compression blocks are shifted to a DC set up value so that the signals within those compression blocks do not have varying DC offsets which otherwise could result in compression distortion. Similarly, upon reproduction, the DC set up value is removed after decompression and the original television signal is restored with complete vertical resolution.

Abstract: The television signal recording/reproducing system digitally records and reproduces television signals composed of a luminance signal, a chrominance signal and a resolution compensation signal included in predetermined television scanning lines. The system includes a Y/C separating circuit for separating the luminance signal Y from the chrominance signal C and a decoder for decoding the color signal into color difference signals C.sub.B, C.sub.R. One of the color difference signals C.sub.B, C.sub.R is combined with the resolution compensation signal, and a digital video signal recorder digitally records the combined resolution signal and the color difference signal. In this manner, the resolution compensation signal is accurately recorded.

Abstract: A video signal receiver receives a plurality of video channels simultaneously carrying, offset by a transmission interval, a single video program, selects one channel from which to obtain the program for display to a user, and achieves a pause function in the display of the transmitted video program by temporarily storing a segment of the video program equal to the length of the transmission interval and obtaining the remainder of the program at a later time from the same or another channel.

Abstract: The television signal recording/reproducing system digitally records and reproduces television signals composed of a luminance signal, a chrominance signal and a resolution compensation signal included in predetermined television scanning lines. The system includes a Y/C separating circuit for separating the luminance signal Y from the chrominance signal C and a decoder for decoding the color signal into color difference signals C.sub.B,C.sub.R. One of the color difference signals C.sub.B,C.sub.R is combined with the resolution compensation signal, and a digital video signal recorder digitally records the combined resolution signal and the color difference signal. In this manner, the resolution compensation signal is accurately recorded.

Abstract: An input digital signal is recorded on inclined tracks on a magnetic tape. The tape has a length L divided quarterly. A leading portion L/4 is reserved for general data, while the remaining portions are reserved for continuous data. The general and continuous data are recorded as SYNC blocks on different tracks. A number of general data SYNC blocks of one track from a basic unit which is divided into sub-units. The general data sub-units are arranged in the same format as the continuous audio data such that the general data is recorded in the same format as the continuous data. The data rates of the input digital signal which includes the general and continuous data are supplied to a mechanism controller which controls a buffer, a frame segmenting circuit and a tape head mechanism according to the data rates of the general and continuous data such that the data is recorded at a standard rate.

Abstract: A digital VCR incorporates an IC card reader/writer that cooperates with an IC card that stores therein control data corresponding to the transmission format of video signals to be recorded. The signal processing circuits with the digital VCR are controlled by the control data and are structured of digital signal processors and the operations of the circuits are controlled such that the sync block length and the like of the record data are controllable. A host interface is connected to a modem is and the modem connected to a host computer of a bank, a department store, or the like through the public phone network, so that the digital VCR can be utilized as a terminal unit for an IC card application system for home banking, home shopping, and so on.

Abstract: The television signal recording/reproducing system digitally records and reproduces television signals composed of a luminance signal, a chrominance signal and a resolution compensation signal included in predetermined television scanning lines. The system includes a Y/C separating circuit for separating the luminance signal Y from the chrominance signal C. The luminance signal Y and the resolution compensation signal are combined onto a first signal line. A demodulating circuit demodulates the chrominance signal into a color difference signal and outputs the demodulated signal to a second signal line. A digital video signal recorder digitally process the signals on the first signal line separately from the signals on the second signal line and records the digitally processed signals. In this manner, the resolution compensation signal is processed with the luminance signal and the resolution compensation signal can be accurately recorded.

Abstract: A video signal receiver receives a plurality of video channels simultaneously carrying, offset by a transmission interval, a single video program, selects one channel from which to obtain the program for display to a user, and achieves a pause function in the display of the transmitted video program by temporarily storing a segment of the video program equal to the length of the transmission interval and obtaining the remainder of the program at a later time from the same or another channel.

Abstract: A serial data stream representing an image is divided into a plurality of data streams, which are selectively combined to form collected data streams that are respectively blocked, shuffled, orthogonally transformed, variable length encoded, and buffered to form encoded blocks restricted to a predetermined amount of data. The encoded blocks for each of the collected data streams are selectively combined to form channels of record data which are recorded by respective recording heads on tracks of a recording medium using a track shuffling process.

Abstract: In a digital video tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus including a pair of rotary magnetic heads having a predetermined head width and gaps with mutually different azimuth angles which helically scan a magnetic tape as the tape is advanced in order to reproduce digital video signals that have been previously azimuth-recorded in oblique tracks on the tape, there is a tape transport that can transport the tape either at a standard speed or at a non-standard speed. If the tracks recorded on the video tape have a track width equal to the head width, then the tape is transported for reproduction at the standard speed, whereas, if the track width is different from the head width, the tape is transported at the non-standard speed. For example, if the track width is twice the head width, then the tape is transported at twice the standard speed.

Abstract: The television signal recording/reproducing system digitally records and reproduces television signals composed of a luminance signal, a chrominance signal and a resolution compensation signal included in predetermined television scanning lines. The system includes a Y/C separating circuit for separating the luminance signal Y from the chrominance signal C. The luminance signal Y and the resolution compensation signal are combined onto a first signal line. A demodulating circuit demodulates the chrominance signal into a color difference signal and outputs the demodulated signal to a second signal line. A digital video signal recorder digitally process the signals on the first signal line separately from the signals on the second signal line and records the digitally processed signals. In this manner, the resolution compensation signal is processed with the luminance signal and the resolution compensation signal can be accurately recorded.

Abstract: Digital data representing a compressed image is separated into priority data and normal data, and formatted so that the priority data is repeatedly recorded on a magnetic tape. The transmission rate of the digital data is compared with the recording rate on the magnetic tape to control the number of repetitions of the priority data.

Abstract: In a digital video tape recorder (VTR) which reproduces digital video and audio signals from a magnetic tape, a copy protect bit in the reproduced digital video signal is detected, and on the basis of the copy protect bit, a code is generated and inserted into the vertical blanking interval of the reproduced video signal. When a video signal (which may be in analog or digital form) having the code in the vertical blanking interval is received in a digital VTR, the code is detected and recording of the video signal and an associated audio signal is inhibited if the code indicates that the received video signal is copy protected.