Patent ID: 8126091

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving hard decode values for an RDS/RBDS (Radio Data System/Radio Broadcast Data System) input signal, each of the hard decode values being generated from a corresponding pair of symbols from the RDS/RBDS input signal; receiving filtered decode values for the RDS/RBDS input signal, each filtered decode value being generated from combined values from each of at least two groups of RDS/RBDS data in the RDS/RBDS input signal; identifying a plurality of reliable filtered decode values within the filtered decode values using the combined values; including the plurality of reliable filtered decode values in a first portion of an RDS/RBDS data group for an RDS/RBDS output signal in place of corresponding hard decode values; including a first plurality of hard decode values in a second portion of the RDS/RBDS data group, the first plurality of hard decode values being a portion of the received hard decode values; preventing an error correction code (ECC) unit from modifying the plurality of reliable filtered decode values in the RDS/RBDS data group; and allowing the ECC unit to modify the first plurality of hard decode values in the RDS/RBDS data group.