Abstract: A communication system has an analog signal broadcasting station for transmitting an analog signal, a digital signal broadcasting station for transmitting a digital signal and a receiving unit for receiving the analog signal from the analog signal broadcasting station and the digital signal from the digital signal broadcasting station. The receiving unit has a recording and reproducing unit for selectively recording one of received analog and digital signals. The recording and reproducing unit has heads for analog signal each having a predetermined azimuth angle and operative to record an analog signal and heads for digital signal each having an azimuth angle larger than that of the analog signal head and operative to record a digital signal, and performs selective recording and reproduction of the analog signal and the digital signal on and from a recording medium.

Abstract: The helical scan reproducing apparatus for magnetically recorded digital information signal reproduces the digital information from the magnetic tape wrapped around the rotary cylinder. The digital information signal is recorded on a plurality of recorded tracks of the magnetic tape. The magnetic heads of the rotary cylinder scan the recorded tracks to reproduce the digital information signal. The reproducing apparatus has the standard playback mode in which it is operated to reproduce at the standard speed and the fast playback mode in which it is operated to reproduce at a higher speed than the standard speed. The tracking control in the reproducing apparatus controls the speed of the magnetic tape so that in the fast playback mode the magnetic heads precisely trace the particular regions of the tracks which particular regions have data for fast playback mode recorded. Each of the tracks is divided into a plurality of blocks.