InsideDSP — In-depth analysis and opinion

ARM, MIPS add DSP Extensions

This month both ARM and MIPS announced new signal-processing-oriented instruction set extensions for their future processor lineups. ARM’s extensions, which it calls NEON, will greatly expand the signal processing capabilities of the ARM architecture. NEON will add a register file organized as 32 64-bit registers or 16 128-bit registers. NEON will operate on these registers using single-instruction multiple-data (SIMD) operations that treat each register as packed 8-, 16-, 32-, or 64-bit data Read more...

CEVA Announces Software-Based Multimedia Acceleration

This month DSP core licensor CEVA announced an unusual multimedia acceleration technology called MediaMagic. Instead of using specialized hardware accelerators, MediaMagic improves multimedia performance using a software technique CEVA calls a "pattern recognition engine." The pattern recognition engine maintains a table of previously-calculated results for algorithms such as the DCT. When multimedia application software invokes one of these algorithms, the pattern recognition engine Read more...

Case Study: Designing a Processor for DSP

As digital signal processing finds its way into an ever-broader range of applications, processors that were not designed with signal-processing applications in mind are often called upon to perform substantial signal-processing tasks. At the same time, DSP processors are taking on new types of tasks—for example, processors designed for audio applications often must handle video as well. Often, the best way for a processor vendor to meet these expanding, evolving signal processing requirements Read more...

Jeff Bier’s Impulse Response—Turning the Tables

At September’s Intel Developer Forum, Intel President and COO Paul Otellini gave a keynote speech that lacked the usual obsession with clock speed. Instead, Mr. Otellini’s speech focused on issues like parallelism, integration, and power consumption. What struck me about this change in emphasis is that Intel now seems to be reading from an embedded processor vendor’s playbook. Take Intel’s perspective on parallelism. Mr. Otellini noted that Intel plans to move all of its x86 families to Read more...

Inside DSP on Automotive Signal Processing: Feeling the Heat

Special Requirements of Automotive Signal Processing Twenty years ago, automobiles had very few electronic features. Today, nearly every vehicle relies on thousands of electronic components. Although annual growth in worldwide vehicle sales is relatively slow (roughly 3%), there is explosive growth in automotive electronics applications. By 2010, it is estimated that nearly 40% of a vehicle's total value will be attributed to its electronics (see Figure 1) and much of the electronics will be Read more...

Inside DSP on Automotive Signal Processing: Street Smarts

Imagine getting on a bus and going for a ride on the highway—with no driver. Or imagine having your car tell you that you’re about to hit a traffic snarl and suggest an alternate route. Pretty cool, right? These applications are possible only with advanced digital signal processing—not only inside the vehicle, but outside as well. Digital signal processing is already used outside of the car in automotive-related application areas ranging from traffic control to road maintenance. Radar speed Read more...

Inside DSP on Automotive Signal Processing: Processors for Automotive Signal Processing

Automobiles are undergoing a digital makeover: gone forever are the days of pure mechanical systems and analog electronics. Today’s automobile is a digital automobile, incorporating dozens of embedded processors connected via multiple digital networks, controlling and optimizing the operation of nearly every system in the automobile. And even more processors are coming in future generations of cars, as more complex signal processing algorithms enable advances in safety, engine and emission Read more...

Inside DSP on Automotive Signal Processing: Signal Processing Hits the Road

Trends in Automotive Signal Processing Signal processing is pervasive in today’s vehicles, in applications ranging from engine controllers to entertainment systems. With annual automotive sales now at roughly 60 million units worldwide, it's clear that automotive applications represent a major market for signal processing technology. And as shown in Figure 1, the market for automotive signal processing is expected to grow at a healthy pace. In this article, we explore four automotive signal Read more...

Inside DSP on Audio: Digital Audio Technology Guide

The digital audio product Digital audio products are complex systems, comprised of numerous software and hardware subsystems. If you've already read "Anatomy of a Modern Digital Audio Product" you've seen many of these subsystems and how they work together. At the heart of the digital audio system is a microprocessor tasked with rendering audio. In this article we'll take a look at key processor options and processor selection criteria for consumer audio products. We'll examine the Read more...

Inside DSP on Automotive Signal Processing: Driving Towards DSP

You’re driving along in your new sports car, cruising up the coast and listening to your CD player. “How I love digital signal processing,” you think to yourself as you crank up your favorite tune. What you may not realize is that digital signal processing is doing a lot more in your car than just playing music. That smooth-sounding hum from your engine is enabled by a range of sophisticated algorithms that are responsible for everything from knock detection to managing engine air flow. The Read more...