Employing multiple transmit and receive antennas, namely using multi-input multi-output
(MIMO) systems, has proven to be a major breakthrough in providing reliable wireless
communication links. Since their invention in the mid-1990s, transmit diversity, achieved
through space-time coding, and spatial multiplexing schemes have been the focus of much
research in the area of wireless commUNICATIONS.
According to the statistics of the Federal commUNICATIONS Commission
(FCC), temporal and geographical variations in the utilization of the as-
signed spectrum range from 15% to 85%. The limited available radio spec-
trum and the inefficiency in spectrum usage necessitate a new commu-
nication paradigm to exploit the existing spectrum dynamically.
Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems have recently been the
subject of intensive consideration in modem wireless commUNICATIONS as they
offer the potential of providing high capacity, thus unleashing a wide range of
applications in the wireless domain. The main feature of MIMO systems is the
use of space-time processing and Space-Time Codes (STCs). Among a variety
of STCs, orthogonal Space-Time Block Codes (STBCs) have a much simpler
decoding method, compared to other STCs
This book examines the technologies underlying the compression and trans-
mission of digital video sequences over networking platforms. The incorporated
study covers a large spectrum of topics related to compressed video communica-
tions. It presents to readers a comprehensive and structured analysis of the issues
encountered in the transmission of compressed video streams over networking
environments.
Over the past few decades, wireless commUNICATIONS and networking have witnessed an
unprecedented growth, and have become pervasive much sooner than anyone could have
predicted. For example, cellular wireless networks are expected to become the dominant
and ubiquitous telecommunication means in the next few decades. The widespread
success of cellular and WLAN systems prompts the development of advanced wireless
systems to provide access to information services beyond voice such as telecommuting,
video conferencing, interactive media, real-time internet gaming, and so on, anytime
and anywhere.
Cooperation is not a natural characteristic attributed to humans. The typical human horizon is focused
on short-term gains, which might be due to our instinct-driven subconscious occupying a grander
importance than we dare to admit [1]. Cooperating with other individuals or entities, however, usually
means that short-term losses may translate into long-term gains – something history has proved to
hold true but humans for some reason rarely ever understand.
How will future generations refer to our times? Will it be known as one
of space exploration, genetics, atomic energy or computing? Possibly,
but I think it is more likely to be ‘The age of commUNICATIONS’. Not since
printed books and newspapers were first introduced has there been
such an explosion of communication. None of this technology could
function without modern cables and, just as important, competent
installers.
It is commonly accepted today that optical fiber commUNICATIONS have revolutionized
telecommUNICATIONS. Indeed, dramatic changes have been induced in the way we interact
with our relatives, friends, and colleagues: we retrieve information, we entertain and
educate ourselves, we buy and sell, we organize our activities, and so on, in a long list
of activities. Optical fiber systems initially allowed for a significant curb in the cost of
transmission and later on they sparked the process of a major rethinking regarding some,
generation-old, telecommunication concepts like the (OSI)-layer definition, the lack of
cross-layer dependency, the oversegmentation and overfragmentation of telecommunica-
tions networks, and so on.
At the time of writing, and to an extent never seen before, there is an expectation that
almost any information or service that is available through communication systems in
the office or home will be available wherever the user happens to be. This is placing
incredible demands on wireless commUNICATIONS and has been the driver for the gen-
esis and deployment of three generations of cellular systems in the space of 20 years.
This book presents, in a unitary and novel perspective, some of the research work
the authors have carried out over the last decade, along with several collaborators and
students. The roots of this book can be traced back to the design of adaptive sequence
detection algorithms for channels with parametric uncertainty. The explosion of turbo
codes and iterative decoding around the middle of the Nineties has motivated the
design of iterative (turbo and graph-based) detection algorithms.
