Abstract: A system for processing a digital information bit stream and generating a data bit stream. The processing includes convolutional burst error correction encoding which is capable of correcting burst errors of length 2B, where B is any positive integer. Inherent in such systems are the requirements of 2B and 5B zero level bits at the beginning, and end, respectively, of the data bit stream. The processing further includes encoding n sync bits at the beginning of the data bit stream.The improvement includes encoder apparatus for replacing the 2B zero bits with the n sync bits; and, decoder apparatus for detecting a threshold number of sync bits and, in response thereto, replacing each sync bit with a zero bit. This improvement significantly reduces the number of bits otherwise required in the data bit stream.