Parallel constrained coding with application to two-dimensional constraints

A parallel constrained coding scheme is considered where p-blocks of raw data are encoded simultaneously into q tracks such that the contents of each track belong to a given constraint S. It is shown that as q increases, there are parallel block-decodable encoders for S whose coding ratio p/q converges to the capacity of S. Examples are provided where parallel coding allows block-decodable encoders, while conventional coding, at the same rate, does not. Parallel encoders are then applied as building blocks in the construction of block-decodable encoders for certain families of two-dimensional constraints