In digital communications, a channel code is a broadly used term mostly referring to the forward error correction code and bit interleaving in communication and storage where the communication media or storage media is viewed as a channel. The channel code is used to protect data sent over it for storage or retrieval even in the presence of noise (errors).
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Channel codes are made up of two main type: convolutional codes and block codes. In practical communication systems, convolutional codes tend to be one of the more widely used channel codes. These codes are used primarily for real-time error correction and can convert an entire data stream into one single codeword. The Viterbi algorithm provided the basis for the main decoding strategy of convolutional codes. The encoded bits depend not only on the current informational k input bits but also on past input bits. Block codes tend to be based on the finite field arithmetic and abstract algebra. Block codes accept a block of k information bits and return a block of n coded bits. Block codes are used primarily to correcting or detecting errors in data transmission. Commonly used block codes are Reed-Solomon codes, BCH codes, Golay codes and Hamming codes.[1]
Sometimes channel coding also refers to other physical layer issues such as digital modulation, line coding, clock recovery, pulse shaping, channel equalization, bit synchronization, training sequences, etc. Channel coding is distinguished from source coding, i.e., digitizing of analog message signals and data compression. The theory behind designing and analyzing channel codes is called noisy channel coding theorem.