The audio quality, robustness and complexity issues of a novel mobile digital audio broadcast (DAB) scheme are addressed. The audio codec is based on a combination of subband coding (SBC) and multipulse excited linear predictive coding (MPLPC), where the bit allocation is dynamically adapted according to both the signal power in different subbands and a perceptual hearing model. Typically a segmental signal to noise ratio (SEGSNR) in excess of 30 dB associated with high fidelity (HI-FI) subjective quality was achieved for 2.67 bits/sample transmissions at a mono bit rate of 86 kbits/s. Four different source-matched forward error correction (FEC) schemes were investigated in order to explore the complexity, bit rate and robustness trade-offs. When using 4 bit/symbol 16-level star-constellation quadrature amplitude modulation (16-StQAM) the overall signalling rate became approximately 30 kBaud, accommodating two stereo DAB channels in a conventional 200 kHz, analogue FM channel's bandwidth. Our diversity assisted DAB scheme required a channel signal to noise ratio (SNR) of about 25 dB for unimpaired audio quality via the worst-case Rayleigh fading mobile channel, when the mobile speed was 30 mph and the propagation frequency was 1.5 GHz. In case of the stationary Gaussian scenario an SNR of about 20 dB was required.
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