The drum assembly carries the video tape around it in a controlled flat circular path. The drum has a slot between the upper and lower portions. This slot allows a rotating set of recording heads to protrude out slightly and touch the tape. The opening is level in respect to the assembly but he tape travels over the slot at an angle from bottom to top. As the tape moves around the drum these two conditions produce a swipe area across the tape that is elongated and diagonal. The speed of the spinning heads and length of the recording area provides the condition necessary to record a video image. The only alternative would be to send the tape at a high rate of speed past a stationary head, which would limit the recording times to the point of impracticality for a home recording system. Also the wear to the components would be another prohibitive factor. In the training manuals for the Beta format the principles and methods used for this scanning technology are explained along with the azimuth head design which was developed to reduce crosstalk. These sections of the training manual are reproduced in the above illustrations. The technology is elegant and makes home video recording possible and practical. The illustrations are representations used for illustration and are representative. In reality the recorded track of the scanning video heads is much more elongated than those shown. To reproduce them actual size would be cumbersome and impractical. To go back to the VIDEO DRUM ASSEMBLY panel click here. ©Misterßetamax go to homepage