Holographic system for the storage of audio, video and computer data

DETAILED DESCRIPTION An object of this invention is to provide a holographic apparatus which is capable of serving equally well as an audio and video playback mechanism, and as a read-only block-access computer data storage mechanism with primary application in the small "home computer" system.
Another object of this invention is to provide a holographic apparatus which permits continuous playback of multi-channel audio data and video data, allows for stop-frame, picture reversal and slow-motion effects during playback of video data, and also permits rapid access to any block of data when the same apparatus is employed as a block-access read-only data storage system for a computer.
A further object of this invention is to provide a low cost holographic system which can employ signals in either digital or analog form, or both forms simultaneously.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a holographic system wherein alignment between the signal and the signal detection means is not critical, and the method by which this goal is accomplished affords the opportunity to maximize data storage density as well as to provide uniform utilization of the storage medium.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.