A Hybrid Decoder for Block Turbo Codes

We propose a novel iterative decoder for block turbo codes (BTCs). The proposed decoder combines soft-input/softoutput (SISO) and hard-input/hard-output (HIHO) constituent decoders in order to obtain better error performance and reduce the computational complexity compared to classical BTC decoders. We show that the new decoder, called 'hybrid decoder', offers a better complexity/performance tradeoff than a classical BTC decoder.