# US 5,710,858 A · Method and apparatus for reproducing digital video signals

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- Number: US 5,710,858 A
- Document ID: US5710858A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 08/518,329
- Filed: 1995-08-23
- Granted: 1998-01-20
- Earliest claimed: 1994-08-25
- Assignees: Sony Corporation
- Inventors: Yuka Oikawa; Naofumi Yanagihara; Nobuaki Izumi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5710858A

## CPC

- H04N 9/8047: {using transform coding}
- G11B 15/125: {conditioned by the operating function of the apparatus}
- G11B 15/1875: {adaptations for special effects or editing (signal processing or indexing therefor G11B27/00)}
- H04N 5/783: Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
- H04N 5/78266: {using more than one track for the recording of one television field or frame, i.e. segmented recording}
- H04N 9/87: Regeneration of colour television signals (H04N9/80 takes precedence)
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- G11B: INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER (recording measured values in a way that does not require playback through a transducer G01D9/00; recording or playback apparatus using mechanically marked tape, e.g. punched paper tape, or using unit records, e.g. punched or magnetically marked cards G06K; transferring data from one type of record carrier to another G06K1/18; circuits for coupling output of reproducer to radio receiver H04B1/20; gramophone pick-ups or like acoustic electromechanical transducers or circuits therefor H04R)

## Abstract

A method and an apparatus for reproducing digital video signals in which every one-frame data of the digital video signals are recorded on n tracks of a recording medium by an inclined azimuth recording system are varying speed reproduced by a rotary head having n heads with a varying playback speed such that A=a(t.multidot.m.+-.1)/n, where a is a constant equal to 1 or 2 and m is a constant which is an integer other than 0. A picture corresponding to the digital video signals read out with the varying playback speed S is displayed on the screen. In this manner, non-continuous lines caused by temporal difference in neighboring macro-blocks during varying speed reproduction may be rendered less obtrusive for improving the picture quality of the varying speed reproduced picture.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for reproducing digital video signals that had been recorded on a recording medium by an inclined azimuth recording system, wherein the improvement comprises the step of
varying speed reproduction S such that S=a(t*m.+-.1)/n
where n is the number of heads, a is a constant of 1 or 2, t is the number of tracks on which one-frame data of the digital video signals is recorded, m is a constant which is an integer other than 0, and the ratio of a to n is not 0.5.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the digital video signals read out with the varying playback speed are allocated and displayed at positions on a picture associated with the digital video signals.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the varying playback speed is determined discretely.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the combination of the plural heads reproducing the signals is switched depending upon the varying playback speed during the varying speed reproduction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of the plural heads is 4 or 8.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of heads (n) in said rotary head unit is other than 2.

### Claim 7

A method for reproducing digital video signals that had been recorded on a recording medium by an inclined azimuth recording system, comprising the steps of:
advancing said recording medium at an adjustable playback speed;
tracing paths along said recording medium with n playback heads;
varying the speed of reproduction by setting said playback speed to S, where S=a(t*m.+-.1)/n, n is the number of heads, a is a constant of 1 or 2, t is the number of tracks on which one-frame data of the digital video signals is recorded, and m is a constant which is an integer other than 0, and the ratio of a to n is not 0.5; and
when the number of heads is 4, said heads are arranged in two diametrically opposing pairs, circularly spaced apart from one another so that the paths traced along said recording medium by any two of said heads are not adjacent to one another.