Patent ID: 7082015

Claim:
A rotary drum comprising: a plurality of reproducing heads each having a plus azimuth angle which heads are collectively arranged at a location in the circumferential direction of said rotary drum in such a manner as to be in close proximity to each other, to be taken as a plus azimuth reproducing head group; and a plurality of reproducing heads each having a minus azimuth angle which heads are collectively arranged at a location in the circumferential direction of said rotary drum in such a manner as to be in close proximity to each other, to be taken as a minus azimuth reproducing head group; a plurality of recording heads each having a plus azimuth angle; and a plurality of recording heads each having a minus azimuth angle, wherein said pluralities of recording heads are arranged at a location in the circumferential direction of said rotary drum in such a manner as to be in close proximity to each other, to be taken as a recording head group, wherein said plus azimuth reproducing head group and said minus azimuth reproducing head group are spaced at about 180° from each other in the circumferential direction of said rotary drum.