Apparatus for recording a digital information signal in a track on a record carrier and encoding means for encoding said digital information signal

Apparatus for recording a digital information signal in a track on a record carrier, the apparatus comprising

• input means for receiving the digital information signal;
• encoding means for encoding the digital information signal so as to obtain a channel signal, the encoding means including an nT precoder, where n is an integer for which holds n.gtoreq.1, and T is the bittime in the digital information signal, the nT precoder including signal combination means and delay means for realizing a signal delay of nT;
• preamble signal generating means for generating a preamble signal;
• switching means for combining the preamble signal and the channel signal, the switching means having a first and second input, an output and a control signal input, the first input of the switching means being coupled to an output of the preamble signal generating means;
• timing means for controlling the switching means such that the switching means supplies a channel encoded block of information of the digital information signal which is preceded by the preamble signal;
• and
• writing means for writing the preamble signal and the channel encoded block of information of the digital information signal in the track on the record carrier;
• and
• wherein the timing means controls the switching means such that:
• the switching means connects to allow writing the preamble signal at least during a part of a time interval in which the preamble signal generating means generates the preamble signal;
• and
• the switching means switches over from the connection to allow writing the preamble signal to a connection to allow writing the channel encoded block at a time instant mT prior to the time instant of the start of the supply of the block of information of the digital information signal, where m is an integer for which holds m.gtoreq.1.