Burst list decoding of interleaved reed-solomon codes

It is shown that interleaved Reed-Solomon codes can be list-decoded for burst errors while attaining the generalized Reiger bound for list decoding. A respective decoding algorithm is presented that is (significantly) more efficient than a burst list decoder for a noninterleaved Reed-Solomon code with comparable parameters. Finally, it is shown through counterexamples that unlike the special case of Reed-Solomon codes, interleaving does not always preserve the list decoding properties of the constituent code. © 1963-2012 IEEE.