Abstract: A digital picture image signal recording method, in which by sequentially forming tracks on a tape recording medium running at a prescribed speed oblique to its running direction digital picture image signals compressed by a high efficiency encoding technique are recorded using rotary heads and at the same time, and then plural kinds of tracking pilot signals with different frequencies on adjacent tracks are recorded, the method comprises the steps of deriving data which are essential to decoding the recorded digital picture image signals from the high efficiency encoded digital signals, successively establishing record areas in unit of a number of tracks equivalent to a cycle period of the tracking pilot signals that can be distinguished by the pilot signal as one group, and recording data which are essential to the decoding in the recording areas.