Communications Toolbox

Convolutional Coding

Convolutional coding is a special case of error-control coding. Unlike a block coder, a convolutional coder is not a memoryless device. Even though a convolutional coder accepts a fixed number of message symbols and produces a fixed number of code symbols, its computations depend not only on the current set of input symbols but on some of the previous input symbols.

This section

• Outlines the convolutional coding features of the Communications Toolbox

• Defines the two supported ways to describe a convolutional encoder:

  • Polynomial description

  • Trellis description

• Describes how to encode and decode using the convenc and vitdec functions

• Gives additional examples of convolutional coding

Selected Bibliography for Block Coding

Convolutional Coding Features of the Toolbox

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