Signal protection

A data protection method comprising the steps of:

• providing an encoder including a transmit buffer between an encoder input and each of a path A transmitter and a path B transmitter;
• providing a decoder including a receive buffer between a decoder output and each of a path A receiver and a path B receiver;
• and,
• interconnecting separate data paths A and B between the encoder path A, B transmitters and the decoder path A, B receivers;
• transporting a data stream from the encoder to the decoder over path A to supply a decoder data output;
• after a data fault, using unfaulted data in a decoder buffer to continue decoder data output without interruption;
• transporting corrective data stored in an encoder transmit buffer to the decoder via path B;
• continuing an uninterrupted supply of data to the decoder data output using the corrective data and the encoder data stream transported over path B;
• data path B does not redundantly propagate the same data values as data path A;
• and,
• bandwidth consumption is limited to a single connection while there are no communications errors.