Magnetic recording apparatus and method, and magnetic recording medium

A magnetic recording apparatus comprising:

• a rotary drum;
• first and second magnetic heads attached to the rotary drum, the first and second magnetic heads being diametrically opposed to each other, the first and second magnetic heads being in a first predetermined height position with respect to the rotary drum, the first and second magnetic heads having different azimuth angles respectively;
• first means for generating an analog video signal;
• second mans for alternately using the first and second magnetic heads to record the analog video signal on a magnetic recording medium while sequentially forming first tracks on the magnetic recording medium, the magnetic recording medium being fed with respect to the rotary drum at a predetermined speed, the magnetic recording medium being wound on an outer circumferential surface of the rotary drum along a part of a helix in a predetermined angular range;
• third and fourth magnetic heads attached to the rotary drum, the third and fourth magnetic heads being diametrically opposed to each other, the third and fourth magnetic heads being in a second predetermined height position with respect to the rotary drum, the second predetermined height position being different from the first predetermined height position, the third and fourth magnetic heads having different azimuth angles respectively, the azimuth angles of the third and fourth magnetic heads being different from the azimuth angles of the first and second magnetic heads;
• third means for generating a digital video signal being free from periodicity of its waveform and being in a frequency band wider than a frequency band of the analog video signal, the frequency band of the digital video signal including a frequency band of a frequency converted carrier chrominance signal of the analog video signal;
• and
• fourth means for alternately using the third and fourth magnetic heads to record the digital video signal on the magnetic recording medium while sequentially forming and writing second tracks over the first tracks on the magnetic recording medium;
• wherein the third means comprises means for subjecting an original video signal to a scramble interleaved NRZI process to generate the digital video signal from the original video signal;
• and
• wherein the digital video signal is in a frequency band wider than a frequency band of the analog video signal, the frequency band of the digital video signal includes a frequency band of a frequency converted carrier chrominance signal of the analog video signal, and the digital video signal is free from periodicity of its record waveform.

A method of magnetic recording, comprising the steps of:

• alternately using first and second magnetic heads to record an audio signal on a magnetic recording medium while sequentially forming first tracks on the magnetic recording medium, the magnetic recording medium being fed with respect to a rotary drum at a predetermined speed, the magnetic recording medium being wound on an outer circumferential surface of the rotary drum along a part of a helix in a predetermined angular range, the first and second magnetic heads being attached to the rotary drum, the first and second magnetic heads being diametrically opposed to each other, the first and second magnetic heads being in a first predetermined height position with respect to the rotary drum, the first and second magnetic heads having different azimuth angles respectively;
• alternately using third and fourth magnetic heads to record an analog video signal on the magnetic recording medium while sequentially forming and writing second tracks over the first tracks on the magnetic recording medium, the third and fourth magnetic heads being attached to the rotary drum, the third and fourth magnetic heads being diametrically opposed to each other, the third and fourth magnetic heads being in a second predetermined height position with respect to the rotary drum, the second predetermined height position being different from the first predetermined height position, the third and fourth magnetic heads having different azimuth angles respectively, the azimuth angles of the third and fourth magnetic heads being different from the azimuth angles of the first and second magnetic heads;
• and
• alternately using fifth and sixth magnetic heads to record a digital video signal on the magnetic recording medium while sequentially forming and writing third tracks over at least portions of the first and second tracks on the magnetic recording medium, the fifth and sixth magnetic heads being attached to the rotary drum, the fifth and sixth magnetic heads being diametrically opposed to each other, the fifth and sixth magnetic heads being in a third predetermined height position with respect to the rotary drum, the third predetermined height position being different from the first and second predetermined height positions, the fifth and sixth magnetic heads having different azimuth angles respectively, the azimuth angles of the fifth and sixth magnetic heads being different from the azimuth angles of the third and fourth magnetic heads, the digital video signal being in a frequency band wider than a frequency band of the analog video signal, the frequency band of the digital video signal including a frequency band of a frequency converted carrier chrominance signal of the analog video signal, the digital video signal being free from periodicity of its record waveform.

A magnetic recording apparatus comprising:

• a rotary drum;
• first and second magnetic heads attached to the rotary drum, the first and second magnetic heads being diametrically opposed to each other, the first and second magnetic heads being in a first predetermined height position with respect to the rotary drum, the first and second magnetic heads having different azimuth angles respectively;
• first means for generating an audio signal;
• second mans for alternately using the first and second magnetic heads to record the audio signal on a magnetic recording medium while sequentially forming first tracks on the magnetic recording medium, the magnetic recording medium being fed with respect to the rotary drum at a predetermined speed, the magnetic recording medium being wound on an outer circumferential surface of the rotary drum along a part of a helix in a predetermined angular range;
• third and fourth magnetic heads attached to the rotary drum, the third and fourth magnetic heads being diametrically opposed to each other, the third and fourth magnetic heads being in a second predetermined height position with respect to the rotary drum, the second predetermined height position being different from the first predetermined height position, the third and fourth magnetic heads having different azimuth angles respectively, the azimuth angles of the third and fourth magnetic heads being different from the azimuth angles of the first and second magnetic heads;
• third means for generating an analog video signal;
• fourth means for alternately using the third and fourth magnetic heads to record the analog video signal on the magnetic recording medium while sequentially forming and writing second tracks over the first tracks on the magnetic recording medium;
• fifth and sixth magnetic heads attached to the rotary drum, the fifth and sixth magnetic heads being diametrically opposed to each other, the fifth and sixth magnetic heads being in a third predetermined height position with respect to the rotary drum, the third predetermined height position being different from the first and second predetermined height positions, the fifth and sixth magnetic heads having different azimuth angles respectively, the azimuth angles of the fifth and sixth magnetic heads being different from the azimuth angles of the third and fourth magnetic heads;
• fifth means for generating a digital video signal being free from periodicity of its waveform and being in a frequency band wider than a frequency band of the analog video signal;
• and
• sixth means for alternately using the fifth and sixth magnetic heads to record the digital video signal on the magnetic recording medium while sequentially forming and writing third tracks over at least portions of the first and second tracks on the magnetic recording medium.

A method comprising the steps of:

• making a master tape adjoin a slave tape;
• and
• applying a bias magnetic field to the master tape to transfer a first magnetization pattern from the master type to the slave tape on a mirror-symmetry basis;
• wherein the first magnetization pattern is mirror-symmetry with a second magnetization pattern, the second magnetization pattern having an array of first slant tracks, an array of second slant tracks, and an array of third slant tracks, the first slant tracks being grouped into pairs each having two neighboring tracks which have different azimuth angles respectively, the second slant tracks being grouped into pairs each having two neighboring tracks which have different azimuth angles respectively, the third slant tracks being grouped into pairs each having two neighboring tracks which have different azimuth angles respectively, the azimuth angles of the second slant tracks being different from the azimuth angles of the first slant tracks, the azimuth angles of the third slant tracks being different from the azimuth angles of the second slant tracks, the second slant tracks extending over the first slant tracks, the third slant tracks extending over at least portions of the first and second slant tracks, the first slant tracks storing an audio signal, the second slant tracks storing an analog video signal, the third slant tracks storing a digital video signal, the digital video signal being free from periodicity of its record waveform and being in a frequency band wider than a frequency band of the analog video signal.