block code

communications

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 22, 2026

Quick Summary

The term "block programming" refers to the arrangement of radio or television programs so that several items of the same general class, such as soap operas or popular music, are broadcast sequentially.1

In telecommunications, "block code" is a method of channel encoding where information is divided into fixed-length sequences of bits. Redundant bits are added to these sequences to create code words. This process helps in detecting and correcting errors that may occur during transmission due to noise. This is distinct from convolutional encoding, which produces an unending stream of bits and incorporates memory into the encoding process.2

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

telecommunication
Convolutional encoding
…Hamming code is called a block code because information is blocked into bit sequences of finite length to which a number of redundant bits are added. When k information bits are provided to a block encoder, n − k redundancy bits are appended to the information bits to form a…
Read More
…Hamming code is called a block code because information is blocked into bit sequences of finite length to which a number of redundant bits are added. When k information bits are provided to a block encoder, n − k redundancy bits are appended to the information bits to form a…
Read More