UEP Schemes for Multimedia Transmission in Space-Time Coded Systems

A system model based on multilayered space-time trellis codes (ML-STTC) is constructed for multimedia transmission over wireless communication systems with multiple antennas both at the transmitter and the receiver. In this model, Space-time Trellis Code (STTC) and Layered Space-time (LST) architecture are combined to achieve diversity and multiplexing gains provided by multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) technology. According to the characteristics of ML-STTC, the unequal error protection (UEP) scheme based on diversity gains is introduced for images first, and then the UEP scheme is strengthened by power allocation among antenna layers. Simulation results reveal the UEP schemes can improve the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) of reconstructed images in an environment with a moderate range of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).