Codes for Mass Data Storage Systems (Second

One can trace the origins of constrained coding to Shannon’s classic 1948 work [1], specifically the chapter on discrete noiseless channels. During the past 50 years, constrained codes have arguably found their most important application, as well as the primary impetus for continued theoretical and practical progress, in mass data storage systems, in the context of which they are often called recording codes. Despite their inherent scientific elegance and considerable technological impact, recording codes have largely been ignored in textbooks on coding and information theory. In 1991, Kees Immink published Coding Techniques for Digital Recorders, the first book devoted to the subject [2]. It became the standard reference in the field. A significantly updated version of the text, entitled Codes for Mass Data Storage Systems, appeared in 1999. The volume under review, released in late 2004, is a second edition of that 1999 text. It provides a very accessible introduction to the theory and, especially, the practice of constrained coding for digital recording. Immink’s enthusiasm for the subject matter is evident, as is his desire to “spread the gospel” to a wide audience. (As he points out in the preface, the publication of a Chinese translation of the 1999 edition makes his message accessible to a considerably larger flock.) It is comprehensive in its survey of families of constraints, their properties, and techniques for designing efficient encoders and decoders. Boasting an extensive bibliography — with over 350 references to journal papers, conference proceedings articles, books, expository surveys, and roughly 80 patent-related sources – the text provides an exceptional entrée to the constrained coding literature. The author is one of the most inventive, prolific, and highly recognized contributors to the art of constrained coding. He has received accolades from the scientific and engineering communities, the consumer electronics and entertainment industries, and the Queen of The Netherlands. The impact of his coding innovations upon audio and video recording, in particular the CD and DVD standards, earned him, remarkably, an Emmy Award! It is hard to imagine a more authoritative source for the material presented in this book. Echoing the preface to his earlier book, Immink plainly spells out his pedagogical aim, namely, “to show how theoretical principles are applied to design encoders and decoders.” He also emphasizes the text’s pragmatic bent, declaring that “the practitioners view will predominate.” Immink achieves his stated goal and, true to his promised perspective, he always keeps within clear focus the tradeoffs involving code efficiency, performance, and implementation complexity.