FPGA Implementation of a Multi-Rate Punctured Viterbi Decoder Compatible with the DVB-T Standard

In this paper, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) implementation of a Viterbi decoder using register exchange algorithm (REA) is presented. The REA offers a higher operating frequency than its competitor the trace back algorithm (TBA). The proposed design is compatible with the digital video broadcasting for terrestrial networks (DVB-T). The design uses less area and operates at a higher frequency than the existing designs. A multirate de-puncturing unit is integrated in the design to support five code rates of 1/2, 2/3, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, which are adopted by the DVB-T standard.