DROPPED SAMPLE DATA RATE REDUCTION SYSTEM

A method and apparatus are disclosed for eliminating or dropping digital samples from a data stream of samples to reduce the data rate for transmission of the data stream through a transmission channel, such as a data record and reproduce system or the like, and for subsequently reconstructing the original data stream by using the unaltered and recovered digital samples to generate an interpolated value for each of the samples that has been dropped. A finite impulse response multi-term digital filter is used to generate the interpolated value for the samples that have been dropped. Advantages reside in the fact that errors are not propagated during multiple generation recording or transmission, since unaltered sample values are always used to produce the interpolated value for the dropped sample that is being reconstructed. The invention has particular use in video recording and reproducing wherein it is desirable to record a digital data stream at the lowest practicable data rate.