Digital signal recording and/or reproducing apparatus that evenly distributes field data across tracks

Replay processing apparatus for a digital player, comprising:

• a rotating head mechanism having n playback heads for replaying a recording medium having slanting tracks which extend diagonally across said recording medium and contain data that represent fields of digital signals and are substantially evenly distributed from said fields into 2*n data processing channels such that the data from two of said data processing channels are recorded in first and second respective portions of one of said slanting tracks;
• at least one head channel connected, in use, to said playback heads;
• channel decoding means for processing the data from said data processing channels replayed from a plurality of portions of each of said slanting tracks by said playback heads and received from said at least one head channel, and for allocating said data processing channels to different ones of said at least one head channel in successive fields;
• and
• means for multiplexing data from said data processing channels to generate said successive fields of said digital signals such that the data replayed from each of said portions of each of said slanting tracks is evenly distributed over one of the generated successive fields.

Digital video processing apparatus comprising:

• n recording heads on a rotating head mechanism for recording slanting tracks which extend diagonally across a recording medium;
• a record processing apparatus including means for receiving input fields of digital signals;
• means for demultiplexing signals from each field of said input fields into 2*n data processing channels such that each data processing channel includes data representing portions of said digital signals that are substantially evenly distributed over said each field;
• and means for selectively allocating said data from said data processing channels to head channels for said recording heads and for reallocating said data processing channels to different ones of said head channels in successive fields of said input fields such that, in use, data from two of said data processing channels are recorded in first and second respective portions of one of said slanting tracks;
• and
• a replay processing apparatus including at least one head channel connected, in use, to said playback heads;
• channel decoding means for processing the data from said data processing channels replayed from a plurality of portions of each of said slanting tracks by said playback heads and received from said at least one head channel;
• and means for multiplexing data from said data processing channels to generate said input fields of digital signals such that the data replayed from each of said portions of each of said slanting tracks is evenly distributed over one of the generated input fields.