Patent ID: 7738201

Claim:
A method comprising: performing a first read operation of a data storage medium of a data storage device; after convening a first read signal generated during the first read operation to a first plurality of bits, computing one soft information value for each of the first plurality of bits detected during the first read operation to generate a first set of soft information values, wherein the first set of soft information values are distinct from the bits detected during the first read operation; performing a second read operation of the data storage medium; after converting a second read signal generated during the second read operation to a second plurality of bits, computing one soft information value for each of the second plurality of bits detected during the second read operation to generate a second set of soft information values, wherein the second set of soft information values are distinct from both the bits detected during the second read operation and from the first set of soft information values; and averaging each corresponding soft information value from the first set and the second set to determine a set of final corresponding bit values.