Information recording and reproducing apparatus

A recording and reproducing apparatus having a body on which a camera is integrally provided, the camera having a solid-state imager and converting a scene of an object into a corresponding video signal, the apparatus comprising:

• a first A/D converter for converting the video signal generated by the camera into a corresponding digital video signal;
• a first signal processor including a first memory and separating the digital video signal generated by the first A/D converter into a digital luminance signal and digital color difference signals by using the first memory;
• a microphone converting sound into a corresponding audio signal;
• a switch selecting one out of a reproduced signal and the audio signal generated by the microphone, and outputting the selected signal;
• a second A/D converter for converting the output signal of the switch into a corresponding digital signal in response to a sampling clock signal having a frequency equal to or higher than twice a maximum frequency of a video signal;
• a filter for decimating the digital signal generated by the second A/D converter;
• a second signal processor including a second memory and subjecting the digital signal generated by the second A/D converter to time-base variation correction and noise reduction by using the second memory when the digital signal generated by the second A/D converter represents a reproduced signal;
• a clock signal generator producing a clock signal on the basis of a reproduced signal and feeding the produced clock signal to the second A/D converter as the sampling clock signal during playback, the produced clock signal being synchronous with a time-base variation in the reproduced signal, the clock signal generator feeding the produced clock signal to the second memory as a write clock signal;
• a third signal processor for time-base-compressing the digital luminance signal and the digital color difference signals generated by the first signal processor into a compression-resultant luminance signal and compression-resultant color difference signals, for time-base-compressing a digital audio signal outputted from the filter into a compression-resultant audio signal, and for multiplexing a sync signal, the compression-resultant luminance signal, the compression-resultant color difference signals, and the compression-resultant audio signal into a multiplexing-resultant signal on a time-division-multiplexing basis during recording, wherein the compression-resultant luminance signal, the compression-resultant color difference signals, and the compression-resultant audio signal are present in periods except horizontal and vertical blanking periods while the sync signal is present in the horizontal and vertical blanking periods;
• the third signal processor being operative for detecting a sync signal in a reproduced multiplexing-resultant signal fed via the second signal processor, for separating a compression-resultant luminance signal, compression-resultant color difference signals, and a compression-resultant audio signal from the reproduced multiplexing-resultant signal in response to the detected sync signal, and for expanding the separated compression-resultant luminance signal, the separated compression-resultant color difference signals, and the separated compression-resultant audio signal into a recovered digital luminance signal, recovered digital color difference signals, and a recovered digital audio signal respectively during playback;
• a D/A converter for converting the multiplexing-resultant signal generated by the third signal processor into a corresponding digital multiplexing-resultant signal;
• a modulator subjecting the digital multiplexing-resultant signal generated by the D/A converter to modulation to convert the digital multiplexing-resultant signal into a corresponding modulation-resultant signal;
• first means for recording the modulation-resultant signal generated by the modulator on a magnetic tape along inclined tracks;
• second means for reproducing the modulation-resultant signal from the magnetic tape;
• a demodulator for demodulating the modulation-resultant signal reproduced by the second means into a reproduced signal, and for outputting the reproduced signal to the clock signal generator and the switch;
• an encoder encoding the recovered digital color difference signals generated by the third signal processor into a carrier color signal;
• third means for generating a reproduced composite video signal from the recovered digital luminance signal generated by the third signal processor and the carrier color signal generated by the encoder;
• and
• fourth means for generating a reproduced audio signal from the recovered digital audio signal generated by the third signal processor.