PURPOSE: To realize the compensation of skew distortion with a simple constitution, by having the matching of phase between the reproduced signal having a preceding overlap period and the reproduced signal having a subsequent overlap period and avoiding the operation of a time axis in the period excepting the overlap period.

CONSTITUTION: A gate signal D which is set at a high level only in an overlap period is produced from a delaying circuit 15 which works in response to the output signal given from a detecting head 17 that detects the positions of the video heads 2 and 3 which take charge of the first and second halves respectively of a field. Then a phase synchronizing loop is formed with a gate holding circuit 14, a variable oscillator 16, a semiconductor delay line 7, etc. Thus the horizontal synchronizing signals in the overlap periods of the heads 2 and 3 are synchronized with each other by the feedback control given via a phase comparator 11, etc. Then the synchronism is secured between the preceding and next signals in the overlap period. Thus the skew distortion is compensated in a simple way. Furthermore no operation is given to the time axis in the period excepting the overlap period, and accordingly no noise is mixed to a compesating system. As a result, no deterioration is caused to the picture quality.