Method and means for recording and playback of color television signals

Method of reproducing color television signals recorded with a substantially equalized ratio of the information density of the recording of the luminance and chrominance signal components with respect to the capacity of the record medium for information density, in which a plurality of channels are recorded, each containing different parts of the luminance and chrominance components, said method comprising the steps of:

• picking up the separately recorded channels in separate pick-up circuits;
• separating in each pick-up channel the luminance signal component from the chrominance signal component;
• time compressing the luminance signal component separated from each of said pick-up channels;
• time expanding the chrominance signal component separated from each of said pick-up channels;
• combining together the time compressed luminance signal component of all pick-up channels, and
• combining together the time expanded chrominance signal component of all of said pick-up channels,
• the time compression ratio of the time compression step and the time expansion ratio of the time expansion step being such as to reconstitute the bit rates and frequency spectra of the respective components to those of a normal television signal suitable for display on a screen.

Apparatus for recording color television digital signals, comprising:

• means for providing separate luminance and chrominance digital signal components of the color television signal;
• first switching means for distributing said luminance and chrominance signal components each into a plurality of channels, the same number of channels in each case;
• storage means in each of said channels equipped with read-out means operable at a different rate from the input signal rate for time expanding the digital signals in the case of the channels containing said luminance signal component and for time compressing the digital signals in the case of the channels containing the chrominance signal component;
• second switching means for combining on a time-sharing basis the luminance signal component from each said channel in which it was distributed by said first switching means with the signals of the chrominance signal component in one of the channels, a different one in each case, in which signals of said chrominance signal component were distributed by said first switching means, the time expansion and compression ratios provided by said storage means being coordinated so as to avoid shutting out any part of either signal component in the combining operation of said second switching means, while substantially equalizing the ratio of information density of the luminance and chrominance portions of the respective combined signals, and
• means for recording in a separate recording channel each combination of a distributed portion of said luminance signal component with a distributed portion of said chrominance signal component contemporaneously provided by said second switching means.

Apparatus for reproducing color television digital signals recorded with a substantially equalized ratio of the information density of the recording of the luminance and chrominance signal components with respect to the capacity of the record medium for information density, said color television digital signals being recorded in a plurality of channels each containing different parts of the luminance and chrominance components, said apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of signal pickup means for picking up in the form of electrical signals the signals respectively recorded in said separate recording channels recorded on a record medium;
• means for separating in each pickup channel the luminance signal component portion of the picked up signal from the chrominance signal component of the picked up signal;
• storage means for said luminance signal component and for said chrominance signal component picked up in each of said pickup channels, said storage means having associated read-out means operating at a rate different from the signal input rate to said storage means, the read-out means in each case being operable for time compressing the picked up luminance signal component and time expanding the picked up chrominance signal component;
• first switching means for combining together the time-compressed luminance signal component of all pickup channels, and
• second switching means for combining together the time-expanded chrominance signal component of all pickup channels,
• said read-out means of said storage means being constituted to provide a time compression ratio for luminance signal components and a time expansion ratio for chrominance signal components such as to reconstitute the bit rates and frequency spectra of the respective components to those of a normal television signal suitable for display on a screen.