Abstract: A receiver is to receive an encoded data block that was encoded using a convolutional encoder and includes source bits and error detection bits. The receiver may include a Viterbi decoder, a de-mapper and an error detection unit. The error detection unit is to determine whether an error correction capability of the Viterbi decoder is sufficient to recover the source bits from the encoded data block. The Viterbi decoder is to decode the encoded data block only if the encoded data block is not free of errors and if the error correction capability of the Viterbi decoder is sufficient to recover the source bits from the encoded data block.

Abstract: A method of calculating recursive state metric vectors of a block of symbols wherein, the state metric vectors being supplied to an output calculating unit. The method includes calculating the state metric vectors from a first side of the block, and calculating for a second time at least some of the state metric vectors from the first side of the block.

Abstract: Briefly, a method to decode a block of information of a turbo code to produce a decoded block. The method may determine from a structure of an error detection code one or more possible error patterns and may generate a reliability metric based on one or more of the one or more possible error patterns and the decoded block.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to free at least a portion of memory space of a memory device from at least a portion of a stored data block, wherein the freeing is based on the block sequence number of the stored data block and a quality indicator value related to at least a portion of the stored data block. The apparatus may include a receiver to receive at least the portion of the data block transmitted according to an error correction scheme.

Abstract: Decoding an encoded block of data may be accomplished by partitioning the block into a first and a second sub-block and performing forward and backward iterative calculations on the sub-blocks in separate processes. Based on results of the iterative calculations an output matrix may be calculated for each sub-block. The outputs may be combined.

Abstract: An error detector comprising an input port for receiving encoded data and an error checking unit for identifying an error detection bit within the encoded data. The error detection unit also determining whether the error detection bit is valid and passing the encoded block to one of a plurality of decoders based on the level.