PURPOSE: To identify a track from a reproduced control signal quickly by making the duty cycle of at least one period different from that of the remaining period in the period of N/a of one frame.

CONSTITUTION: A square wave whose period is a period being a N/a division of one frame [where (a) is a natural number and a measure of N] of a video signal recorded on a recording medium while being split on N-parallel tracks per frame (N is a natural number being three or over) is used as a control signal and recorded on a position different from that of the video signal, and the square wave is recorded while its duty cycle in a least one period of each frame is made different from the duty cycle in the other period. The square wave generated while taking one of N/a divisions of one frame of the video signal as a period is recorded as a control signal while the duty cycle of one period in the N/a period of one frame is made different from at least each duty cycle of the other (N/a)-1 period.