The apparatus includes an encoder (100) for encoding a redundant coded picture corresponding to a source picture by selecting individual blocks in the source picture for inclusion into the redundant coded picture.

In the second mode, the redundant encoding is removed to provide more efficient use of the access control bit encoding space.

The encoding scheme provides 2:1 data redundancy and the symbol mapping provides a maximum distance for the redundant encoding.

In the first mode, the access control bits include at least one instance of a redundant encoding.

Aggregate throughput is improved by sending and receiving either multiple sets of separately encoded packets, commonly encoded packets or redundantly encoded packets.

The implication of this is that the redundant encoding MUST be sampled at the same rate as the primary.

procedures defined in RFC 2198 [7] are used to signal the use of

The quality of bursts of a redundant code which have been received is used to ensure that only a minimal number of bursts need be received within a frame for message decoding.

o As a multitude of encodings may be used for redundant information, each block of redundant encoding has to have an encoding type identifier.

Redundant blocks of data will correspond to different time intervals than the primary data, and hence each block of redundant encoding will require its own timestamp.