Case Studies

Case Study: Cool Algorithm, But Will It Fit in My Product?

Algorithms are the essence of digital signal processing; they are the mathematical "recipes" that transform signals in useful ways. Companies developing new algorithms, or considering purchasing or licensing algorithms, often need to assess whether an algorithm will fit within their processing budget—and thereby within their cost and power consumption targets. But estimating an algorithm's processing load can be difficult if the algorithm has not already been carefully mapped onto the target Read more...

Case Study: BDTI's Expert, Independent Analysis Enables Optimum Vision Processor Selection

A growing number of products are incorporating computer vision capabilities. This, in turn, has led to rapid growth in the number of processors being offered for vision applications.  Selecting the best processor (whether a chip for use in a system design, or an IP core for use in an SoC) is challenging, for several reasons. First, these processors use very diverse architecture approaches, which makes it tough to compare them. Second, because vision applications and algorithms are also quite Read more...

Case Study: Digital Signal Processing Library Development Enables Effective Processor Deployments

As applications become more complex, and processors become more powerful, system developers increasingly rely on off-the-shelf software components to enable rapid and efficient application development. This is particularly true in digital signal processing, where application developers expect to have access to libraries of optimized building-block functions to speed their work. A leading SoC developer recently contracted BDTI to assist it in developing a comprehensive library of software Read more...

Case Study: Squeezing Big Algorithms into Small Power Budgets Enables Mobile Audio Quality

Today's smartphones are technological marvels that deliver an extraordinary range of capabilities from GPS-based navigation to sophisticated photography. But sometimes we just want to make a phone call. And particularly when we're on the move, who hasn't struggled to hear the other party or to be heard on a mobile call? Realizing the importance of intelligible phone calls – not to mention a strong need to differentiate their products – smartphone manufacturers are incorporating increasingly Read more...

Case Study: For Ultra Low Power, the Right Algorithms Are Key

When engineers set out to design a system (such as a wearable or handheld device) for minimum power consumption, there's a tendency to focus on selecting the most energy efficient processor and on optimizing the software for maximum efficiency. These are important steps, to be sure, but when the application is based on digital signal processing, choosing the right algorithms can be even more important. Digital signal processing is, of course, fundamentally the application of math to signals, Read more...

Case Study: Algorithm Optimizations Efficiently Utilize Processor Features

Your company’s core expertise lies in developing innovative digital signal processing algorithms, not in porting and optimizing those algorithms to any of the dozens of processors that your customers use. But optimized implementations are often critical to enable customers to utilize your algorithms within their processing performance and power budgets. Good compilers are definitely helpful, but they invariably leave significant performance on the table. Engaging the processor experts at BDTI Read more...

Case Study: Independent Evaluation Enables a Development Kit to Hit a Home Run

BDTI is well known for its software-related capabilities: performance- and power consumption-related benchmarking, for example, along with algorithm evaluation and development and optimization work. In such projects, BDTI frequently employs semiconductor manufacturers' evaluation boards and associated software toolsets, which are often combined to create development kits. And as noted several months ago, BDTI is no stranger to hardware development, either, partnering with chip suppliers to co- Read more...

Case Study: Squeezing Code to Create Space for New Features

Semiconductor memory is increasing in capacity and becoming more cost-effective all the time. Yet, plenty of deeply embedded applications still exist for which every spare byte of RAM or flash memory is a precious commodity, especially those leveraging on-SoC storage versus discrete components. Tack on a performance-constrained DSP, intentionally speed-hampered to minimize power consumption, and a limited-capacity battery coupled with a multi-day or -week operating life expectation, and you've Read more...

Case Study: Chip Vendors, Walk a Mile in Your Customers’ Shoes

Let's face it: Applications are getting more complicated. Chips are getting more complicated. And engineering teams are generally getting smaller, not larger. As a result, it's incumbent on chip vendors to provide robust, easy-to-use development kits. Design engineers rely on these kits to quickly evaluate chips and prototype key portions of their systems. Clearly chip manufacturers recognize that development kits are important, and there are hundreds available. But the quality of these kits Read more...

Case Study: System Designers Selecting Multimedia Processors Benefit from BDTI Insights

Portable electronics devices are incorporating increasingly sophisticated multimedia capabilities, while at the same time striving to meet tough size, weight, battery life and cost requirements. Recently, a BDTI client launched a design for a new portable multimedia system requiring billions of floating-point operations per second and low input-to-output latency, and single-digit power consumption to enable compact and fan-less system operation. Robust software development tools were also a key Read more...