Error detection, concealment and correction

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Categories: Digital Basics

No means of digital recording is perfect. Magnetic tape, disks and even perhaps SD (chips) suffer from a few marginal areas where recording and replay is difficult or even impossible. However the errors can be detected and some remedial action taken by concealment or correction. The former attempts to hide the problem by making it less noticeable whereas the latter actually corrects the error so that perfect data is output.

When the recorded data is an image, an error can simply be concealed by using data from previous or following TV lines, fields or frames. The result is not guaranteed to be identical to the original but the process is relatively simple and, as important, quick. If the stored information is from a database, a computer program or from special image processing, then 100% accuracy of data is essential. This can be ensured by recording data in a manner where any errors can be detected and the correct data calculated from other information recorded for this purpose. This is error correction.

A difference between computer systems and TV is that the latter is continuous and cannot wait for a late correction. Either the correct result must be ready in time or some other action taken, the show must go on, placing a very tight time constraint on any TV-rate error correction. In contrast, a computer can usually afford to wait a few milliseconds.

Digital VTRs monitor the error rate and provide warnings of excessive errors, which although not immediately visible, may build up during multiple tape passes.

Although error rates from disks are generally many times lower than those expected from digital videotape, they can still occur. To protect against this there is data redundancy and the replay of all data is checked. If an error is detected there is sufficient additional information stored to calculate and substitute the correct data. The total failure of a disk drive can be covered and the missing data re-generated and recorded onto a new replacement, making the system highly accurate and very secure.

See also: ECC, EXOR, RAID