Patent ID: 7016446

Claim:
A channel decoder for a digital broadcast receiver, comprising: a synchronization byte detector for detecting synchronization bytes in a decoded transmission signal; wherein said synchronization byte detector provides a synchronization signal indicating a start of frame for transport stream packets in the decoded transmission signal; wherein the synchronization byte detector provides a lock detected output signal indicating the receiver is locked-in to one broadcast channel; said lock detected output signal being used as at least one of a feed forward signal and a feed back signal to switch processing stages at least one of succeeding and preceding, respectively, said synchronization byte detector into a different mode dependent on whether or not a lock has been achieved; and wherein at least one of a clock and a carrier recovery circuit preceding the synchronization byte detector is switched from a robust mode used for acquisition of a broadcast channel to a locked mode used for compensation of small deviations of an acquired broadcast channel when the receiver is locked-in and vice-versa when the receiver is not locked-in.