RECORDING AND REPRODUCTION OF AN INFORMATION SIGNAL COMPRISING PACKETS THAT MAY OCCUR IRREGULARLY AS A FUNCTION OF TIME IN THE SERIAL DATASTREAM OF THE INFORMATION SIGNAL

A recording apparatus, for recording an information signal in at least one track on a record carrier. The information signal comprises packets (Pi) that may occur irregularly as a function of time in the serial datastream of the information signal. The apparatus comprises an input terminal for receiving the information signal, a channel encoding unit for channel encoding the information signal into a channel encoded information signal and a writing unit for writing the channel encoded information signal in said at least one track on the record carrier. The channel encoded information signal comprises frames of information. A frame of information may be recorded in a group of n subsequent tracks (Tr0 to Tr11), when the recording apparatus is a recording apparatus of the helical scan type, where n is an integer larger than 1. The apparatus further comprises a time stamp generator unit for generating time stamps (TSi) having a relation to the moment of occurrence of a packet comprised in the information signal received. Further, a combining unit is present for combining a packet and its corresponding time stamp so as to obtain a composite packet (Pi'). The time stamp generator unit comprises a counter for generating subsequent cycles of subsequent count values, said cycles coinciding in time with the recording of subsequent frames in said at least one track on the record carrier. In response to the detection of the occurrence of a packet in said information signal, a time stamp for said packet is generated, which time stamp has a specified relationship to the count value of said counter means at said moment of occurrence of said packet.