Unequal Error Protection: An Information-Theoretic Perspective

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Borade S., NAKİBOĞLU B., Zheng L.

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INFORMATION THEORY, vol.55, no.12, pp.5511-5539, 2009 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 55 Issue: 12
  • Publication Date: 2009
  • Doi Number: 10.1109/tit.2009.2032819
  • Journal Name: IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INFORMATION THEORY
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.5511-5539
  • Keywords: Block codes, blowing-up lemma, error exponents, false alarm, feedback, missed detection, unequal error protection (UEP), variable-length block coding, BOUNDS, CODES, CHANNELS
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: No

Abstract

An information-theoretic framework for unequal error protection is developed in terms of the exponential error bounds. The fundamental difference between the bit-wise and message-wise unequal error protection (UEP) is demonstrated, for fixed-length block codes on discrete memoryless channels (DMCs) without feedback. Effect of feedback is investigated via variable-length block codes. It is shown that, feedback results in a significant improvement in both bit-wise and message-wise UEPs (except the single message case for missed detection). The distinction between false-alarm and missed-detection formalizations for message-wise UEP is also considered. All results presented are at rates close to capacity.