Apparatus and method for decoding LDPC codes in a communications system

1. An apparatus for decoding a low density parity check (LDPC) code, the apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to receive a LDPC codeword having a length equal to a lifting factor times a base LDPC code length, wherein the lifting factor is greater than one; and

a number of LDPC processing elements configured to decode the LDPC codeword, wherein each of the number of LDPC processing elements decode separate portions of the LDPC codeword,

wherein, when the LDPC processing elements decode in parallel, a first LDPC processing element in the LDPC processing elements is configured to receive the LDPC codeword and decode a fraction of a total number of rows in the LDPC code, the fraction equal to one over the number of the LDPC processing elements.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the number of LDPC processing elements is configured to decode a portion of the LDPC codeword having a length equal to the base LDPC code length within a period of time needed to decode an LDPC codeword having the base LDPC code length.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, when the LDPC processing elements perform layered decoding of the LDPC codeword, each LDPC processing element in the LDPC processing elements is configured to:

receive a portion of the LDPC codeword having a length equal to the base LDPC code length; and

perform layered decoding of the received portion of the LDPC codeword.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the base LDPC code length is 672 and wherein the lifting factor is one of 2 and 3 and wherein the number of LDPC processing elements is equal to the lifting factor.

5. A method for decoding a low density parity check (LDPC) code, the method comprising:

receiving a LDPC codeword having a length equal to a lifting factor times a base LDPC code length, wherein the lifting factor is greater than one; and

decoding, using the number of LDPC processing elements, the LDPC codeword, wherein each of the number of LDPC processing elements decode separate portions of the LDPC codeword, wherein, when the LDPC processing elements decode in parallel, decoding the LDPC codeword comprises:

receiving, at a first LDPC processing element a first LDPC processing element in the number of LDPC processing elements, the LDPC codeword; and

decoding a fraction of a total number of rows in the LDPC code, the fraction equal to one over the number of the LDPC processing elements.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein decoding the LDPC codeword further comprises:

decoding the LDPC codeword with a minimum decoder throughput of 4.6 gigabits per second.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein, when the LDPC processing elements perform layered decoding of the LDPC codeword, decoding the LDPC codeword comprises:

receiving, at each LDPC processing element in the LDPC processing elements, a portion of the LDPC codeword having a length equal to the base LDPC code length; and

performing, using the LDPC processing elements, layered decoding of the received portion of the LDPC codeword.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein:

the LDPC codeword is formed by increasing the base LDPC code length of the LDPC code by the lifting factor without increasing a decoding complexity of the LDPC code, and

decoding the LDPC codeword further comprises decoding, by each of the number of LDPC processing elements, a portion of the LDPC codeword having a length equal to the base LDPC code length within a period of time needed to decode a LDPC the codeword having the base LDPC code length.

9. The method of claim 5 , wherein the base LDPC code length is 672 and wherein the lifting factor is one of 2 and 3, wherein the number of LDPC processing elements is equal to the lifting factor.