Application of Reed–Solomon error correction

The code was invented in 1960 by Irving S. Reed and Gustave Solomon, at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Reed-Solomon codes are used for error correction.

Reed-Solomon codes are block-based error correcting codes with a wide range of applications in digital communications and storage. Reed-Solomon codes are used for many application.

• Storage devices
  
• 2-D bar code
  
• Wireless or mobile communications (including cellular telephones, microwave links, etc)
• Satellite communications
• Digital television / DVB
• ADSL, xDSL

Reed Solomon codes are a subset of BCH codes and are linear block codes. A Reed-Solomon code is specified as RS(n,k) with s-bit symbols.

This means that the encoder takes k data symbols of s bits each and adds parity symbols to make an n symbol codeword. There are n-k parity symbols of s bits each. A Reed-Solomon decoder can correct up to t symbols that contain errors in a codeword.