Abstract: Magnetic head positioning and playback apparatus is provided for use with a helical scan tape recorder to accurately position a playback head with respect to a magnetic track. The playback head has a split face portion dividing the playback gap substantially in half. Reproduce signals from the corresponding portions are simultaneously processed to provide an indication of positional error and summed to provide a playback signal. In one form, by differencing the reproduce signals from the corresponding portions and by multiplying the difference and sum signals together, a usable correction signal is provided to a servo circuit for simultaneously centering the head on the track while reproducing a playback signal -- this being accomplished without the use of a separate control track.

Abstract: The present invention departs from conventional concepts, involving the use of magnetic tape or the like, of color video signal recording by providing video signal recording and reproducing apparatus in which preferential dropout compensation is obtained without the use of special dropout compensation circuitry. A color video signal is down-converted in frequency to produce a video signal of a recordable frequency range with picture information at relatively low frequencies and color and sound information at relatively higher frequencies, respectively. Dropouts, therefore, affect the sound information first, the color information second, and the picture information last, as is preferable.

Abstract: A color video recorder/reproducer records wide bandwidth luminance information alternately with narrow bandwidth luminance information plus chrominance information for the transmitted lines of a television picture frame. Before recording, the chrominance information is frequency converted to occupy a frequency band substantially adjacent to the frequency band occupied by the narrow bandwidth luminance information. Upon playback, the frequency converted chrominance information is separated from the narrow bandwidth luminance information and converted to its originally occupied frequency band. A video signal is then reconstructed by combining the signal recorded for a given line with a complementary portion of the signal recorded for the preceding line. Upon display of a picture thus produced, an artifact pattern is observed. The present invention recognizes the source of this artifact pattern to be the imperfect separation of the narrow bandwidth luminance information from the chrominance information.