Recording and reproducing apparatus

A recording and reproducing apparatus includes an RLL encoder for encoding an information bit string to a code bit string, and an RLL decoder for decoding a code bit string encoded by the RLL encoder to an information bit string. The RLL encoder encodes an information bit string to a code bit string of a run-length-limited code at a high encoding rate satisfying a plurality of constraints regarding a string of successive zeros. The RLL decoder decodes the code bit string encoded by the RLL encoder to the information bit string.