Methods and apparatus are provided for non-linear scaling of log
likelihood ratio (LLR) values in a decoder. A decoder according to the
present invention processes a received signal by generating a plurality
of log-likelihood ratios having a first resolution; applying a non-linear
function to the plurality of log-likelihood ratios to generate a
plurality of log-likelihood ratios having a lower resolution; and
applying the plurality of log-likelihood ratios having a lower resolution
to a decoder. The non-linear function can distribute the log-likelihood
ratios, for example, such that the frequency of each LLR value is more
uniform than a linear scaling.