Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling recording and reproduction in a video cassette tape recorder are disclosed apparatus is capable of, in a recording mode, separating specific data for speed-varied reproduction from compressed digital video signals, recording them on designated tracks, recording position information of the designated tracks on a control track by an index head or recording position information of recording position-synchronized blocks at the starting portions of the designated tracks recorded with the specific data, and in a speed-varied reproduction mode, controlling a capstan servo speed so as to maintain the travel of a magnetic tape at a normal speed and periodically or non-periodically accelerate or decelerate it where specific data for varied-speed have been recorded periodically or non-periodically on predetermined portions of tracks, thereby making heads travel repeatedly at the normal speed and the high speed and thereby detect continuously the specific tracks for varied-speed.

Abstract: A recording apparatus for a high definition video cassette recorder, comprises a tape discriminator for checking for the presence of a hole on a specified position of a tape to discriminate whether the tape is of the normal-VHS type or the super-VHS type, a clock signal generator for generating a clock signal of a desired period in response to an output signal from the tape discriminator, a frequency divider for frequency-dividing the clock signal from the clock signal generator by an integer N, a first switch for selecting either the clock signal from the clock signal generator or the frequency divided clock signal in response to the output signal from the tape discriminator, a video data separator for separating intra-frame data and inter-frame data from an input digital video signal in response to the clock signal selected by the first switch and outputting the separated intra-frame data, a second switch for selecting either the input digital video signal or the intra-frame data from the video data separat