Utilizing soft information in decoding of variable length codes

We present a method for utilizing soft information in decoding of variable length codes (VLCs). When compared with traditional VLC decoding, which is performed using "hard" input bits and a state machine, soft-input VLC decoding offers improved performance in terms of packet and symbol error rates. Soft-input VLC decoding is free from the risk, encountered in hard decision VLC decoders in noisy environments, of terminating the decoding in an unsynchronized state, and it offers the possibility to exploit a priori knowledge, if available, of the number of symbols contained in the packet.