Apparatus for recording and reproducing an information signal comprising packets that may occur irregularly as a function of time in a serial datastream of the information signal, and a record carrier carrying the information signal

Recording apparatus of the helical scan type, for recording an information signal in slant tracks on a record carrier, the information signal comprising packets that may occur irregularly as a function of time in the serial datastream of the information signal, the recording apparatus comprising:

• an input terminal for receiving the information signal;
• channel encoding means for channel encoding the information signal into a channel-encoded information signal;
• and
• writing means for writing the channel-encoded information signal in said tracks on the record carrier, the channel-encoded information signal comprising frames of information, a frame of information being recorded in a group of n subsequent tracks, where n is an integer larger than 1, characterized in that the recording apparatus further comprises:
• time stamp generator means for generating time stamps having a relation to the moment of occurrence of a packet comprised in the information signal received;
• and
• combining means for combining a packet and its corresponding time stamp so as to obtain a composite packet, the time stamp generator means comprising counter means adapted to generate subsequent cycles of subsequent count values, said cycles coinciding in time with the recording of subsequent groups of n subsequent tracks on the record carrier, the time stamp generator means being adapted to generate, in response to the detection of the occurrence of a packet in said information signal, a time stamp for said packet, said time stamp having a specified relationship to the count value of said counter means at said moment of occurrence of said packet.

Reproducing apparatus for reproducing an information signal that has been recorded, in channel-encoded form, in at least one track on a record carrier, the information signal comprising packets that may occur irregularly as a function of time in a serial datastream of the information signal, a frame of the channel-encoded information signal having been recorded in said at least one track, the reproducing apparatus comprising:

• reading means for reading the channel-encoded information signal from said at least one track;
• channel decoding means for channel decoding the channel-encoded information signal into a replica of the information signal;
• and
• an output terminal for supplying the replica of the information signal, characterized in that the frames in the channel-encoded information signal reproduced from the record carrier comprise composite packets, said composite packets being the packets comprised in the information signal, time stamps having been added to the packets so as to form said composite packets, said time stamps having a relation to the moment of occurrence of a packet comprised in the information signal upon recording, the channel decoding means comprising:
• time stamp retrieval means for retrieving the time stamp from a composite packet so as to obtain the packet and the time stamp corresponding to said packet;
• counter means adapted to generate subsequent cycles of subsequent count values from a start value to a final value, said cycles coinciding in time with the reproduction of the frames from said at least one track;
• and
• output means for comparing, for each packet, the corresponding time stamp with the count value of the counter means, and for supplying the packet to the output terminal at a time instant when the count value of the counter means and the time stamp have a specified relationship to each other.

Reproducing apparatus of the helical scan type, for reproducing an information signal that has been recorded, in channel-encoded form, in slant tracks on a record carrier, the information signal comprising packets that may occur irregularly as a function of time in a serial datastream of the information signal, a frame of the channel-encoded information signal having been recorded in a groups of n subsequent tracks, where n is an integer larger than 1, the reproducing apparatus comprising:

• reading means for reading the channel-encoded information signal from the tracks;
• channel decoding means for channel decoding the channel-encoded information signal into a replica of the information signal;
• and
• an output terminal for supplying the replica of the information signal, characterized in that the frames in the channel-encoded information signal reproduced from the record carrier comprise composite packets, said composite packets being the packets comprised in the information signal, time stamps having been added to the packets so as to form said composite packets, said time stamps having a relation to the moment of occurrence of a packet comprised in the information signal upon recording, the channel decoding means comprising:
• time stamp retrieval means for retrieving the time stamp from a composite packet so as to obtain the packet and the time stamp corresponding to said packet;
• counter means adapted to generate subsequent cycles of subsequent count values from a start value to a final value, said cycles coinciding in time with the reproduction of subsequent groups of n subsequent tracks;
• and
• output means for comparing, for each packet, the corresponding time stamp with the count value of the counter means, and for supplying the packet to the output terminal at a time instant when the count value of the counter means and the time stamp have a specified relationship to each other.