Modeling the burst error statistics of Viterbi decoding for punctured codes

One of the characteristics of the Viterbi algorithm is that errors at the output appear grouped in bursts. The knowledge of these error burst statistics is very useful in designing a communication system. This paper presents a simple model of Viterbi decoder burst-error statistics derived from the code distance properties. The puncturing process is also modeled. Results are validated through additional computer simulations. The advantage of the model is that it may be used to generate Viterbi error sequences quickly when a very large amount of data is needed. The complete analysis of the convolutional code used in Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) standards is shown.