Video tape for recording and reproducing plural different independent video signals simultaneously

A recording and reproducing apparatus for recording and reproducing a plurality of video signals, having respective independent vertical sync signals onto and from a video tape running relative to a rotary cylinder by rotary head pairs mounted on the rotary cylinder, said plurality of video signals being from different channels, the video tape having a control track and a recording track and tracks with a predetermined recording track pitch, the apparatus comprising:

• (A) a recording means, for simultaneously recording said plurality of video signals, including:
• synchronization processing means for controlling phases of the respective vertical sync signals of said video signals so as to be synchronized with each other;
• recording processing means for converting said video signals into recordable signals;
• a first pair of rotary heads, each head having a track width narrower than said recording track pitch, a first one of said first pair of rotary heads having a first gap azimuth angle and a second one of said first pair of rotary heads having a second gap azimuth angle having a reverse direction to said first gap azimuth angle and said first one of said first pair of rotary heads and said second of said first pair of rotary heads being located at opposite positions on the cylinder with respect to each other, said first pair of rotary heads recording a first one of the recordable signals onto the video tape and reading out the same signal from the video tape;
• a second pair of rotary heads, each head having a track width narrower than said recording track pitch, a first one of said second pair of rotary heads having said first gap azimuth angle and a second one of said second pair of rotary heads having said second gap azimuth angle, said first one of said second pair of rotary heads and said second one of said second pair of rotary heads being located at opposite positions on the cylinder with respect to each other, at positions other than the positions of said first pair of rotary heads, said second pair of rotary heads recording a second one of the recordable signals onto the video tape and reading out the same signal from the video tape, a height of said positions of said rotary heads being set so that tracks recorded by said second pair of rotary heads are arranged between tracks recorded by said first pair of rotary heads, so as to provide a gap between recorded tracks having the same azimuth angle;
• and
• means for generating a control signal synchronously with the vertical sync signal included in either one of the video signals corresponding to the first one of the recordable signals and the second one of the recordable signals recorded by said first pair and second pair of rotary heads, and for recording said control signal to the control track, and
• (B) a playback system used with said first and second pairs of rotary heads, the playback system including:
• playback processing means for reconstructing signals read out and reproduced through one of said first and second pairs of the rotary heads into video signals;
• and
• servo means for reproducing the control signal and for controlling operation of the rotary heads and running of the video tape in accordance with the reproduced control signal.