Readership

This book has been written for students who are in the middle or final years of a degree in electronic or communication engineering and who are following a course in signal coding and signal processing techniques. It should also be helpful to engineers and managers in industry who need an introductory or refresher course in the field.

About the book

Many textbooks are devoted to either signal coding, e.g. error control, or to signal processing, e.g. digital filters, simply because there is great breadth and depth in each area. On the other hand, practical systems invariably employ a combination of these two fields and a knowledge of both is often required. For example, a knowledge of digital filtering, fast Fourier transforms (FFTs) and forward error control would often be required when designing a satellite data modem. Similarly, a knowledge of discrete transforms is fundamental to the understanding of some video compression schemes (transform coding), and basic digital filter theory is required for some speech codecs. Also, many undergraduate courses give an introduction to both fields in the middle and final years of a degree.

The philosophy behind this book is therefore to provide a single text which introduces the major topics in signal coding and processing, and to illustrate how these two areas interact in practical systems. The book is a blend of theory and modern practice and is the result of some 12 years lecturing and research experience in these two fields.