Abstract: In order to reduce the cross talk between data recorded in adjacent tracks on a record carrier the encoding of the data stream into code words is controlled using control points. The code words in a first track are altered by selecting that value of the control point that results in code words that differ in as many bit positions as possible from the corresponding bit positions in a second track, where the first track and second track are both adjacent to the same third track. Having opposite bit values in corresponding bit positions on the first and second track results in the lowest contribution of these bit positions to the code words stored in the third track.