Byte synchronization system and method using an error-tolerant synchronization pattern for the PR IV channel

The probability of byte synchronization failure for a Viterbi detector in a partial-response class IV (PR IV) system with an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) is analysed. The error rate of the Viterbi detector is computed as a function of the combination of two critical incorrect samples, which is then related to the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the samples. New error-tolerant byte-synchronization patterns (ETBSP) and detection circuitry for the partial-response maximum-likelihood (PRML) channel are introduced. The length of the new patterns is 1/3 shorter than the conventional ones, and the probability of failure is four orders of magnitude lower. The complexity of the circuitry is halved by introducing a new vector subtracter and a new offset adder.