An efficient decision feedback equalizer for the ATSC DTV receiver

In this paper an efficient decision feedback equalizer is presented for the equalization of the received signal in the eight level vestigial sideband, Advanced Television Systems Committee, digital television system, adopting a novel detection rule for symbol detection at the output of the equalizer. The conventional hard limiter is replaced by an efficient symbol detection algorithm, based on the underlying trellis coded modulated coding of the transmitted symbols. The proposed decision device has a marginal computational cost and it can be implemented using simple combinatorial and sequential logic circuitry. When the equalizer operates in the decision directed mode, the normalized least mean squared algorithm is utilized for the adaptation of the equalizer coefficients, in a “stop-and-go” like mode, triggered by a reliability signal associated to the detected symbols. The performance of the proposed method is illustrated by typical computer simulation.

► We present an efficient DFE equalizer for the ATSC DTV receiver.
► A novel symbol detection rule at the output of the equalizer is adopted.
► It is based on the underlying TCM coding of the transmitted symbols.
► The proposed decision device has a marginal computational cost.