Digital video/audio recording and reproducing apparatus

An apparatus comprising:

• encoding means for compressing and encoding a video signal with a variable reduction rate;
• means for selecting a number of audio signals to be recorded from multi-channel audio signals;
• and
• means for controlling the variable reduction rate in said encoding means according to the number of selected audio signals so that a sum of an information amount of the encoded video signal and an information amount of the selected audio signals is maintained constant.

An apparatus comprising:

• first encoding means for compressing and encoding a video signal with a first variable reduction rate;
• means for selecting a number of audio signals to be recorded from multi-channel digitized audio signals;
• second encoding means for compressing and encoding the number of selected audio signals with a second variable reduction rate;
• and
• control means for controlling the first and second reduction rates in said first and said second encoding means so that a sum of an information amount of the encoded video signal and an information amount of the selected encoded audio signals is maintained constant.

An apparatus comprising:

• first encoding means for compressing and encoding a video signal by performing a transform relative to a frequency axis;
• second encoding means for compressing and encoding an audio signal by performing a transform relative to the frequency axis;
• means for reordering components of the encoded video and audio signals according to frequency;
• and
• means for recording the encoded video and audio signals on a magnetic tape such that the encoded video signal is recorded in sequence from high to low frequency components starting at one end of a recording track on the magnetic tape and the encoded audio signal is recorded in sequence from high to low frequency components starting at the other end of the recording track.

A method of recording digitized video and audio signals on a recording medium at a fixed amount of information per unit time and for reproducing the digitized video and audio signals from the recording medium at a fixed amount of information per unit time, comprising the steps of:

• (a) compressing and encoding a digitized video signal with a first variable reduction rate;
• (b) compressing and encoding a digitized audio signal with a second variable reduction rate;
• and
• (c) controlling the first and second reduction rates in said steps (a) and (b) so that a sum of an information amount of the encoded video signal and an information amount of the encoded audio signal is maintained constant.

A method recording digitized video and digitized multi-channel audio signals on a recording medium at a fixed amount of information per unit time and for reproducing the digitized video and digitized multi-channel audio signals from the recording medium at a fixed amount of information per unit time, comprising the steps of:

• (a) compressing and encoding the digitized video signal with a variable reduction rate;
• (b) selecting a number of audio signals to be recorded from the multi-channel audio signals;
• and
• (c) controlling the variable reduction rate in said step (a) according to the number of selected audio signals so that a sum of an information amount of the encoded video signal and an information amount of the selected audio signals is maintained constant.

A method of recording digitized video and digitized multi-channel audio signals on a recording medium at a fixed amount of information per unit time and for reproducing the digitized video and digitized multi-channel audio signals from the recording medium at a fixed amount of information per unit time, comprising the steps of:

• (a) compressing and encoding a digitized video signal with a first variable reduction rate;
• (b) selecting a number of audio signals to be recorded from the multi-channel digitized audio signals;
• (c) compressing and encoding the number of selected audio signals with a second variable reduction rate;
• and
• (d) controlling the first and second variable reduction rates in said steps (a) and (c) so that a sum of an information amount of the encoded video signal and an information amount of the selected encoded audio signals is maintained constant.

A method of encoding digitized video and audio signals, recording the encoded video and audio signals on a magnetic tape with recording tracks, and reproducing the encoded video and audio signals from the magnetic tape, comprising the steps of:

• (a) compressing and encoding the digitized video signal by performing a transform relative to a frequency axis;
• (b) compressing and encoding the digitized audio signal by performing a transform relative to the frequency axis;
• (c) reordering components of the encoded video and audio signals according to frequency;
• and
• (d) recording the encoded video and audio signals on the magnetic tape such that the encoded video signal is recorded in sequence from high to low frequency components starting at one end of a recording track on the magnetic tape and the encoded audio signal is recorded in sequence from high to low frequency components starting at the other end of the recording track.

A method comprising the steps of:

• (a) compressing and encoding a video signal with a first variable reduction rate;
• (b) compressing and encoding an audio signal with a second variable reduction rate;
• and
• (c) controlling the first and second reduction rates in said steps (a) and (b) so that a sum of an information amount of the encoded video signal and an information amount of the encoded audio signal is maintained constant.

A method comprising the steps of:

• (a) compressing and encoding a video signal with a variable reduction rate;
• (b) selecting a number of audio signals to be recorded from multi-channel audio signals;
• and
• (c) controlling the variable reduction rate in said step (a) according to the number of selected audio signals so that a sum of an information amount of the encoded video signal and an information amount of the selected audio signals is maintained constant.

A method comprising the steps of:

• (a) compressing and encoding a video signal with a first variable reduction rate;
• (b) selecting a number of audio signals to be recorded from multi-channel digitized audio signals;
• (c) compressing and encoding the number of selected audio signals with a second variable reduction rate;
• and
• (d) controlling the first and second variable reduction rates in said steps (a) and (c) so that a sum of an information amount of the encoded video signal and an information amount of the selected encoded audio signals is maintained constant.

A method comprising the steps of:

• (a) compressing and encoding a video signal by performing a transform relative to a frequency axis;
• (b) compressing and encoding an audio signal by performing a transform relative to the frequency axis;
• (c) reordering components of the encoded video and audio signals according to frequency;
• and
• (d) recording the encoded video and audio signals on a magnetic tape such that the encoded video signal is recorded in sequence from high to low frequency components starting at one end of a recording track on the magnetic tape and the encoded audio signal is recorded in sequence from high to low frequency components starting at the other end of the recording track.