A range of adaptive orthogonal frequency division multiplex (AOFDM) video systems are proposed for interactive communications over wireless channels. The proposed constant target bit-rate subband-adaptive OFDM modems can provide a lower bit error rate than a corresponding conventional OFDM modem. The slightly more complex switched or time-variant target bit rate AOFDM modems can provide a balanced video quality performance, across a wider range of channel signal-to-noise ratios, maintaining the best video performance. Upon invoking the technique advocated, irrespective of the channel conditions experienced, the transceiver achieves always the best possible video quality by automatically adjusting the achievable bit rate and the associated video quality in order to match the channel quality experienced. This is achieved on a near-instantaneous basis under given propagation conditions in order to cater for the effects of path-loss, fast-fading, slow-fading, dispersion, etc. Furthermore, when the mobile is roaming in a hostile outdoor propagation environment, typically low-order, low-rate modem modes are invoked, while in benign indoor environments predominantly the high-rate, high source-signal representation quality modes are employed.

The effect of time-domain and frequency-domain synchronization errors is quantified in the context of various coherently and noncoherently detected 1, 2, and 4 bits/symbol OFDM constellations, in order to demonstrate the wide applicability of the techniques proposed for mitigating the bit error rate (BER) performance degradations inflicted. A reference symbol is proposed and a range of correlation techniques are suggested for coarse and fine synchronization. Their performance is studied over time-dispersive Rayleigh fading channels, with the conclusion that the proposed synchronization techniques result in virtually unimpaired BERs over the range of wideband channels investigated in comparison to a perfectly synchronized system.

The novel class of nonbinary maximum minimum distance redundant residue number system (RRNS) codes is invoked in the context of adaptively RRNS coded, symbol-by-symbol adaptive multicarrier modulation, in order to combat the effects of frequency-selective fading inflicted by dispersive wide-band channels. The system's performance can be adjusted in order to maintain a given target bit error rate (BER) and bit per symbol (BPS) performance. The proposed adaptive RRNS scheme outperforms the convolutional constituent code based turbo coded benchmarker system for channel signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) in excess of about 15 dB at a target BER of 10/sup -4/.

Turbo-coded burst-by-burst adaptive orthogonal frequency division multiplex (AOFDM) wide-band speech transceivers are proposed. A constant throughput adaptive OFDM transceiver was designed and benchmarked against a time-variant rate scheme. The proposed joint adaptation of source-codec, channel-codec, and modulation regime results in attractive, robust, high-quality audio systems, capable of conveying near-unimpaired wide-band audio signals over fading dispersive channels for signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) in excess of about 5 dB.

A historical perspective of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) is given with reference to its literature. Its advantages and disadvantages are reviewed, and its performance is characterized over highly dispersive channels. The effects of both time- and frequency-domain synchronization errors are quantified, and a range of solutions proposed in the recent literature are reviewed. One of the main objectives of this review is to highlight the recent thinking behind adaptive bit allocation and turbo coding in the context of OFDM. This paper concludes with a wide-ranging throughput comparison of the schemes discussed herein under the unified constraint of a fixed target bit error rate of 10/sup -4/.

A historical perspective of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) is given with reference to its literature. Its advantages and disadvantages are reviewed, and its performance is characterized over highly dispersive channels. The effects of both time- and frequency-domain synchronization errors are quantified, and a range of solutions proposed in the recent literature are reviewed. One of the main objectives of this review is to highlight the recent thinking behind adaptive bit allocation and turbo coding in the context of OFDM. This paper concludes with a wide-ranging throughput comparison of the schemes discussed herein under the unified constraint of a fixed target bit error rate of 10/sup -4/.

The video performance of a 155-Mbps wireless asynchronous transfer mode (WATM) proposal and that of a 2-Mbps Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) concept is evaluated for a range of low- to high-quality video application scenarios, various propagation conditions, and video bit rates using the H.263 video codec, assisted by a novel packetization and packet acknowledgment scheme. Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing is invoked over the highly dispersive channels for conveying high-rate video signals. Various binary Bose-Chaudhuri-Hochquenghem and turbo codes are investigated comparatively, with the conclusion that due to the high error resilience of the video packetization and acknowledgment scheme, the increased power of the higher complexity turbo codec does not translate to substantially improved overall system robustness, although the bit error rate and acknowledgment flag error rate are significantly reduced. The whole range of video resolutions and system parameters is summarized in a number of tables. The required channel signal-to-noise ratio for near-unimpaired video quality is about 16 dB for the inherently lower quality, lower resolution video frame formats, but slightly higher, about 18 dB, for the high-definition formats, where the error-induced subjective video degradations become more objectional over the highly dispersive worst case channels used.

A range of frequency acquisition, frequency tracking, symbol synchronisation and frame synchronisation techniques are proposed and evaluated for employment in 155 Mbit/s, 60 GHz local area networks. The algorithms are based on two correlation functions, exhibit a moderate implementational complexity and high robustness against channel noise.