DC-free multimode code design using novel selection criteria for optical recording systems

DC-free run-length limited codes have been the cornerstone of all three generations of optical recording, CD, DVD and BD. Research into very efficient coding methods is paramount for the upcoming fourth generation. Guided Scrambling (GS) is an efficient coding method that has been reported in the literature. Under GS rules, a user word is translated into a plurality of possible candidate words, and among the candidate words the encoder selects the codeword with the least low-frequency spectral content. In our paper, we will present results of our attempts to improve the performance of GS-based codes. We will present new selection criteria and evaluate their performance and complexity. Specifically, we will evaluate the new selection criteria to the 2/3(1,7) parity preserving code used in Blu-Ray Disc.