To settle the problem where the recording capacity of a recording medium is wasted since a video signal recording-reproducing apparatus recording bit streams records the digital video signals to satisfy its recording rate, by adding dummy data.

An HDD 5 writes image data into its recording area, each time the image data are inputted from a switch circuit 3. Then the HDD 5 reads out the image data at a bit rate higher than its original bit rate of video source of the recorded image data and supplies them to a VCR 6. The VCR 6 copies and records the image data on a magnetic tape. Thus, the recording capacity of dummy data is suppressed to a minimum for the magnetic tape, where the image data are recorded via the VCR 6. In reproduction mode, the image data reproduced from the VCR 6 are reproduced at a bit rate of recording mode and then written into the HDD 5, which reproduces the written image data at its original bit rate.