Sequential decoding for lossless streaming source coding with side information

The problem of lossless fixed-rate streaming coding of discrete memoryless sources with side information at the decoder is studied. A random time-varying tree-code is used to sequentially bin strings and a Stack Algorithm with a variable bias uses the side information to give a delay-universal coding system for lossless source coding with side information. The scheme is shown to give exponentially decaying probability of error with delay, with exponent equal to Gallager’s random coding exponent for sources with side information. The mean of the random variable of computation for the stack decoder is bounded, and conditions on the bias are given to guarantee a finite ρ moment for 0 ≤ ρ ≤ 1. Further, the problem is also studied in the case where there is a discrete memoryless channel between encoder and decoder. The same scheme is slightly modified to give a joint-source channel encoder and Stack Algorithm-based sequential decoder using side information. Again, by a suitable choice of bias, the probability of error decays exponentially with delay and the random variable of computation has a finite mean. Simulation results for several examples are given. Index Terms Data compression, side information, joint source-channel coding, sequential decoding, lossless source coding, Slepian-Wolf, error exponent, delay universal, stack algorithm, random variable of computation