Convolutional code
Overview
 
In telecommunication
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...

, a convolutional code is a type of error-correcting code in which
  • each m-bit
    Bit
    A bit is the basic unit of information in computing and telecommunications; it is the amount of information stored by a digital device or other physical system that exists in one of two possible distinct states...

     information
    Information
    Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...

     symbol (each m-bit string) to be encoded is transformed into an n-bit symbol, where m/n is the code rate (nm) and
  • the transformation is a function of the last k information symbols, where k is the constraint length of the code.

Convolutional codes are used extensively in numerous applications in order to achieve reliable data transfer, including digital video
Digital video
Digital video is a type of digital recording system that works by using a digital rather than an analog video signal.The terms camera, video camera, and camcorder are used interchangeably in this article.- History :...

, radio, mobile communication, and satellite communication.
 
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