A system for communicating encoded data using start code emulation prevention, the system comprising: a computing device communicatively coupled to a transmitter, the computing device configured to: receive at least one partially encrypted packet; identify at least one portion of the at least one partially encrypted packet that is unencrypted; search within only the at least one identified unencrypted portion of the at least one partially encrypted packet for start code emulation and determine that the at least one identified unencrypted portion of the at least one partially encrypted packet has start code emulation; and in response to the determining that the at least one identified unencrypted portion has start code emulation, insert start code emulation prevention data only in the at least one identified unencrypted portion of the at least one partially encrypted packet; wherein the transmitter is configured to: transmit the at least one partially encrypted packet with an identifier of the start code emulation prevention data in the at least one identified unencrypted portion of the at least one partially encrypted packet, wherein data immediately following the identifier is ignored as an indication of a start code for another packet and encrypted portion is not searched for start code emulations. a computing device communicatively coupled to a transmitter, the computing device configured to: receive at least one partially encrypted packet; identify at least one portion of the at least one partially encrypted packet that is unencrypted; search within only the at least one identified unencrypted portion of the at least one partially encrypted packet for start code emulation and determine that the at least one identified unencrypted portion of the at least one partially encrypted packet has start code emulation; and in response to the determining that the at least one identified unencrypted portion has start code emulation, insert start code emulation prevention data only in the at least one identified unencrypted portion of the at least one partially encrypted packet; receive at least one partially encrypted packet; identify at least one portion of the at least one partially encrypted packet that is unencrypted; search within only the at least one identified unencrypted portion of the at least one partially encrypted packet for start code emulation and determine that the at least one identified unencrypted portion of the at least one partially encrypted packet has start code emulation; and in response to the determining that the at least one identified unencrypted portion has start code emulation, insert start code emulation prevention data only in the at least one identified unencrypted portion of the at least one partially encrypted packet; wherein the transmitter is configured to: transmit the at least one partially encrypted packet with an identifier of the start code emulation prevention data in the at least one identified unencrypted portion of the at least one partially encrypted packet, wherein data immediately following the identifier is ignored as an indication of a start code for another packet and encrypted portion is not searched for start code emulations.