Receiver Coding Gain in DVB-H Terminals Using Application Layer FEC Codes

DVB-H is targeted for broadcasting digital content to handheld devices. The content is generally divided into streaming media or file downloading. In file downloading scenarios there is typically a requirement on a zero error ratio which can be met using either a data carousel or additional forward error correction codes. Both methods however induce a higher energy consumption in the receiver. This paper analyses the energy consumption needed for two different forward error correction codes based on emulator results for typical hardware in a handheld device. The energy used for error correction is compared to the energy used when receiving more carousel rounds in order to meet the zero error ratio requirement. This difference is denoted as receiver coding gain. Additionally, error correction also leads to a reduction in the reception time.