Patent ID: 7299401

Claim:
A recording apparatus of a helical scan type capable of recording data as inclined tracks onto a tape-shaped recording medium, comprising: a rotary drum having N recording heads on a circumference thereof; a first series code generating means for generating a first series code by adding a first parity to a first data array in a predetermined direction; a second series code generating means for generating a second series code by adding a second parity to a second data array in a direction orthogonal to said direction of said first data array; and a recording control means for controlling recording such that said first series code is recorded by one of said N recording heads and said second series code is recorded by said N recording heads in a dispersed manner over a plurality of tracks, on said tape-shaped recording medium, wherein said second series code generating means generates said second series code such that a ratio between said second parity and said second series code equals at least 1/N, wherein said number N of said recording heads are 4 or more, and wherein said first series code is recorded across a plurality of tracks, which are formed by one of said N recording heads.