Variable Length Space Time Coded Modulation

A Variable Length Space Time Coded Modulation (VL-STCM) scheme capable of simultaneously providing coding, multiplexing and diversity gains is proposed. The scheme advocated achieves its best performance for correlated sources, where the source symbols exhibit a nonuniform probability of occurrence. The source symbols are encoded using an optimal trellis encoder into variablelength modulated signals and mapped to both the spatial and time domains. More explicitly, the proposed VL-STCM arrangement is a jointly designed source coding, channel coding, modulation and spatial diversity/multiplexing scheme. It is shown that the higher the source correlation, the higher the achievable performance gain of the scheme. Furthermore, the performance of the VL-STCM scheme is about 6 dB better than that of the Fixed Length STCM (FL-STCM) benchmarker at a source symbol error ratio of 10?4

Performance Analysis of Iteratively Decoded Variable-Length Space-Time Coded Modulation

It is demonstrated that iteratively Decoded Variable Length Space Time Coded Modulation (VL-STCM-ID) schemes are capable of simultaneously providing both coding gain as well as multiplexing and diversity gain. The VL-STCM-ID arrangement is a jointly designed iteratively decoded scheme combining source coding, channel coding, modulation as well as spatial diversity/multiplexing. In this contribution, we analyse the iterative decoding convergence of the VL-STCM-ID scheme using symbol-based three-dimensional EXIT charts. The performance of the VL-STCM-ID scheme is shown to be about 14.6 dB better than that of the Fixed Length STCM (FL-STCM) benchmarker at a source symbol error ratio of 10?4, when communicating over uncorrelated Rayleigh fading channels. The performance of the VL-STCM-ID scheme when communicating over correlated Rayleigh fading channels using imperfect channel state information is also studied

Seminario sullo Standard MPEG-4: utilizzo ed aspetti implementativi

Una delle tecnologie chiave che hanno permesso il grande sviluppo della televisione digitale è la compressione video. La tecnologia di codifica video nota come MPEG-2, sviluppata nei primi anni novanta, è diventata lo standard di trasmissione DTV (Digital TV) sia satellitare sia terrestre in quasi tutti i paesi del mondo. Da allora la velocità dei microprocessori e le capacità di memoria dei dispositivi hardware per la codifica e la decodifica sono migliorate significativamente rendendo possibile lo sviluppo e l’implementazione di algoritmi di codifica innovativi in grado di abbattere significativamente i limiti di compressione dello standard MPEG-2. Tali innovazioni, sfociate nel 2003 nello standard MPEG-4 AVC (Advanced Video Coding), non hanno permesso di mantenere la compatibilità all’indietro con l’MPEG-2, e questo ha inizialmente costituito un limite alla loro introduzione nei sistemi di trasmissione DTV. Tuttavia, negli ultimi anni la codifica MPEG-4 AVC si è diffusa rapidamente, è stata adottata dal progetto DVB, recentemente dall’ATSC, ed è lo standard di codifica nell’IPTV. L’obiettivo di questo seminario, che si articola in due giornate, è quello di presentare lo standard di codifica MPEG-4 AVC con particolare attenzione agli aspetti implementativi del livello di codifica video.2008-11-18Sardegna Ricerche, Edificio 2, Località Piscinamanna 09010 Pula (CA) - ItaliaSeminario sullo Standard MPEG-4: utilizzo ed aspetti implementativ

A contour-based approach to binary shape coding using a multiple grid chain code

This paper presents a contour-based approach to efficiently code binary shape information in the context of object-based video coding. This approach meets some of the most important requirements identified for the MPEG-4 standard, notably efficient coding and low delay. The proposed methods support both object-based lossless and quasi-lossless coding modes. For the cases where low delay is a primary requirement, a macroblock-based coding mode is proposed which can take advantage of inter-frame coding to improve the coding efficiency. The approach presented here relies on a grid different from that used for the pixels to represent the shape – the hexagonal grid – which simplifies the task of contour coding. Using this grid, an appraoch based on a differential chain code (DCC) is proposed for the lossless mode while, for the quasi-lossless case, an approach based on the multiple grid chain code (MGCC) principle is proposed. The MGCC combines both contour simplification and contour prediction to reduce the number of bits needed to code the shapes. Results for alpha plane coding of MPEG-4 video test sequences are presented in order to illustrate the performance of the several modes of operation, and a comparison is made with the shape-coding tool chosen by MPEG-4.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version