Multichannel recording format for a sampled-analog color video signal

Video recording/playback apparatus comprising:

• (a) means for producing a color video signal composed of successive groups of analog color samples, successive samples in at least some of said groups alternating between one color and another, a group representing a line of a video field or frame;
• (b) means for separating, sample-by- sample, a group of said samples and assigning said samples to a plurality of channels of substantially equal bandwidth such that each of said channels contains a subgroup of analog color samples, said subgroup having samples of only one color;
• (c) means including a multichannel essentially-fixed recording head for recording the subgroups of samples in said channels on a corresponding plurality of parallel tracks on a recording medium;
• (d) means including a multichannel essentially-fixed playback head for reproducing the subgroups of samples recorded in said tracks in a plurality of channels;
• and
• (e) signal processing means, connected to said plurality of channels, including signal sampling and combining means, for producing a composite video signal suitable for display.

Video recording apparatus comprising:

• (a) means for producing a color video signal composed of successive groups of analog color samples, successive samples in at least some of said groups alternating between one color and another, said groups containing N samples per group and each of said groups representing one line scan of a video frame or field;
• (b) means for separating a group, sample-by-sample, and for assigning said samples to M channels of substantially equal bandwidth such that such channels contain subgroups of N/M samples, respective subgroups having samples of only one color;
• and
• (c) means including a multichannel essentially-fixed recording head for recording the subgroups of samples, carried by said channels, on M parallel tracks on a recording medium.

A video camera/recorder, comprising:

• (a) means including a solid state image sensing array for producing a color video signal composed of successive groups of analog color samples, successive samples in at least some of said groups alternating between one color and another, a group representing a line of a video frame or field;
• (b) means for separating a group, sample-by-sample, and for assigning said samples to a plurality of channels of substantially equal bandwidth such that the samples in a channel comprise a subgroup of samples, said subgroup having samples of only one color;
• and
• (c) means including an essentially-fixed multichannel magnetic recording head for recording the subgroups of samples carried by said channels on a corresponding plurality of parallel tracks on a magnetic recording tape.

Video recording apparatus comprising:

• (a) means for producing a color video signal composed of successive groups of analog samples representing first or second colors, successive sample in at least some of said groups alternating between one color and another, samples representing said first color occurring more frequently in said signal than samples representing said second color, based on human visual acuity to said respective colors;
• (b) means for separating a group, sample-by-sample, and assigning said samples to a plurality of channels of substantially equal bandwidth such that each channel carries a subgroup of samples of only one color, subgroups of samples of said first color occurring more frequently in said channels than subgroups of said second color;
• and
• (c) means including an essentially-fixed multichannel recording head for recording the samples in said channels on a corresponding plurality of parallel tracks on a recording medium.

A color video camera/recorder, comprising:

• (a) means, including a solid state image sensing array, for producing a color video signal composed of successive groups of green, red, or blue color samples, successive samples in at least some of said groups alternating between one color and another, a group representing a line of a video field or frame, said green samples occurring more frequently in said signal than red or blue samples, based on human visual acuity to the respective colors;
• (b) means for separating, sample-by-sample, said signal, and assigning respective samples to one of a plurality of channels of substantially equal bandwidth such that each channel carries successive subgroups of samples, the samples in respective subgroups being of like color, subgroups of green samples occurring more frequently in said channels than subgroups of red or blue;
• and
• (c) means including a multichannel essentially-fixed magnetic recording head, for recording the signal in said channels on a corresponding plurality of parallel tracks along the length of a magnetic recording tape.

A method for recording a color video signal, comprising the steps of:

• (a) producing a color video signal composed of successive groups of analog color samples, successive samples in at least some of said groups alternating between one color and another, a group representing a line of a video field or frame;
• (b) separating a group of samples of said signal, sample-by-sample;
• (c) assigning said samples to a plurality of channels of substantially equal bandwidth so that each channel carries successive subgroups of analog color samples, the samples within each subgroup being of the same color;
• and
• (d) recording the signal in said channels on a plurality of parallel tracks, one-track-per-channel, on a recording medium.

A method of recording and reproducing a color video signal, comprising the steps of:

• (a) producing a color video signal composed of successive groups of analog color samples, successive samples in at least some of said groups alternating between one color and another, a group representing a line of a video field or frame;
• (b) separating a group of said samples, sample-by-sample;
• (c) assigning samples to respective channels of a plurality of channels of substantially equal bandwidth such that the samples in said channels comprise subgroups of samples of one color;
• (d) recording the signal in said channels on a plurality of parallel tracks, one-track-per-channel, on a recording medium;
• (e) reproducing the signal from said tracks in a plurality of channels;
• and
• (f) sampling the signal in said channels and combining the samples to produce a composite color video signal suitable for display.