Apparatus and method for adaptive, multimode decoding

An apparatus for adaptive multimode decoding for data packet-based communication, the apparatus comprising:

• a state detector operative to detect a burst erasure;
• a burst erasure corrector coupled to the state detector, the burst erasure corrector adapted, when a detected burst erasure has a burst erasure level which is greater than a first selected threshold, to decode a plurality of received data packets utilizing a first corresponding burst erasure correction code;
• and further adapted, when the detected burst erasure has a burst erasure level which is greater than a second selected threshold, the second selected threshold being greater than the first selected threshold, to decode a plurality of received data packets utilizing a second corresponding burst erasure correction code;
• and
• an error corrector coupled to the state detector, the error corrector coupled to the state detector, the error corrector operative, when a burst erasure has not been detected, to decode transmitted data packets utilizing a first corresponding random bit error correction code.

An apparatus for adaptive multimode decoding for data packet-based communication, the apparatus comprising:

• means for detecting a burst erasure;
• means for decoding a plurality of received data packets utilizing a first corresponding burst erasure correction code when a detected burst erasure has a burst erasure level which is greater than a first selected threshold;
• means for decoding the plurality of received data packets utilizing a second corresponding burst erasure correction code when the detected burst erasure has a burst erasure level which is greater than a second selected threshold, the second selected threshold being greater than the first selected threshold;
• means for decoding a plurality of received data packets utilizing a first corresponding random bit error correction code when a burst erasure has not been detected;
• and
• means for selecting output data, the means for selecting output data responsive to a detected burst erasure to output burst erasure corrected data, and further responsive, when a burst erasure has not been detected, to output random bit error corrected data.