Abstract: Method and system for optimally estimating the location of each of a sequence of two or more synchronization patterns in a digital signal bit stream. A first reference location for a sync pattern is determined. A Boolean product or other product of the sync pattern (of length S) with S consecutive bit values of the digital stream is formed, for each of a selected consecutive sequence of candidates for a second reference location of the sync pattern within a window of selected length. A candidate reference location that yields the largest (or smallest) product value within the window is estimated to be a second or “next” reference location of the sync pattern, if the product value is at least equal to (or, alternatively, is no greater than) a selected threshold value. The sync pattern used for testing the digital stream can be varied from one location to another. The number of bit matches or the number of bit non-matches can be used to determine an optimal reference location for the sync pattern.

Abstract: Under current CD-R and CD-RW technology, whenever a present mark is burned onto a CD, only the dimension of the present mark is considered in controlling the heat source (e.g. a laser). The present invention improves upon the current technology by taking into account not only the dimension of the present mark but also the effects on the present mark due to the marks and spaces within relatively close proximity to the present mark. By doing so, the present invention significantly improves the accuracy of the writing process. This in turn enables the present invention to eliminate the writing errors of the prior art.