A stereophonic magnetic tape recording system having a pair of magnetic recording heads each provided with its own signal processing circuit including amplifiers, an equalizer, etc. Shared by both channels, a bias oscillator feeds a bias current, having a frequency higher than the spectrum of the information signals to be recorded, to both record heads. For continuously adapting the recording bias and equalization to the high frequency portions of the information signals, each channel is further...

For sensing the peaks of an electric signal reconverted by a magnetic head from a digital signal stored on a magnetic tape or other recording media, a half-wave rectifying diode is connected to the magnetic head via an amplifier. The output of the half-wave rectifying diode is connected directly to a resistance-capacitance differentiating circuit, without interposition of a slicer therebetween. An output from the differentiating circuit is compared with a variable level-setting reference voltage...

A tape magazine-loading device, wherein a holder is rotatably attached to the free ends of left and right rotary arms, and it is normally maintained horizontal at a position spaced apart from the tape magazine-loading portion. Insertion of the tape magazine into the holder from the front will cause the left and right rotary arms to be rotated so that the tape magazine is automatically moved toward the loading portion to be loaded therein while being held in the holder. By operating the return le...

A video disc player for use with a record disc having recorded along a spiral track thereon a succession of information streams to be reproduced and a series of addresses identifying the successive turns of the track. Also recorded on the record disc, prior to the information streams, is an index listing at least the starting addresses of the information streams. An optical pickup assembly reads the record disc by traveling in its radial direction in step with the rotation of the disc. A memory ...

In a video and/or audio disc player wherein a laser beam is focused by an objective on a record disc for scanning same along a spiral information track thereon, a focus control is provided which comprises a converging lens disposed across the path of the information-modulated laser beam. Two or three photodetector elements are disposed on one of the conjugate planes of the converging lens the other of which substantially coincides with a focal plane of the objective. Aligned in the direction in ...

In an apparatus having a pivotable cassette cradle with a record-playback head fixedly mounted on its hinged end, a carriage is provided which is held close to the free end of the cradle when the latter is in a record-playback position and which has mounted thereon a pair of cassette retainer leaf springs and two electrical switch assemblies to be actuated by the tape cassette carried by the cradle. The apparatus further comprises a carriage shift mechanism for retracting the carriage away from ...

For recording and reproducing analog audio signals by a pulse-code modulation scheme so as to permit effective compensation for dropout errors, an incoming audio signal is sampled, and the analog samples are converted into a sequence of coded pulse groups or words. These words are grouped into successive notional blocks, and the odd and the even words, for example, of each block are divided into sub-blocks, as by sequentially writing the words of each block in successive storage locations in a m...

A speed sensing roller is mounted in position on a digital tape cassette apparatus for frictional contact with a length of magnetic tape within a cassette housing through that one of the apertures in the cassette housing which is located closest to one of the cassette hubs operating as the takeup hub during tape travel in a forward direction. Utilizing a tape speed signal generated by a speed sensor driven by the speed sensing roller, a closed-loop servomechanism controls a pair of motors couple...

A tape cassette comprises a cassette case having a front opening located on the front thereof for allowing a tape to enter within the cassette case and a side opening located on at least one side of the cassette case, a pair of reels for winding the tape thereon, and a pair of support parts located displaceably on the cassette case, for rotatably supporting the reels which are inserted into the cassette case through the side opening. The reels are removable from the cassette case through the sid...

A device is disclosed for cleaning the magnetic head of a recorder/reproducer apparatus having a cartridge compartment into which a tape cartridge is slid for data transfer contact with the magnetic head. The head cleaner device has a casing of approximately the same shape and size as the tape cartridge, which casing is to be slid into and out of the cartridge compartment. The casing has pivotally mounted therein a handlebar having one end projecting therefrom through an aperture in the casing. ...