InsideDSP — In-depth analysis and opinion

Inside DSP on Low Power: Processors for Low-Power Signal Processing

In many low-power applications, the processor is a major contributor to the overall system energy consumption. Hence, the processor typically plays a key role in determining a product's battery life. The choice of processor also affects many other critical aspects of the system, such as price and performance. In this article we explore processor options for low-power signal processing applications. We begin with a discussion of the criteria to consider when selecting a processor for a low-power Read more...

Inside DSP on Low Power: Long Live the Battery

Low-power Signal Processing Trends A decade ago, low-power digital signal processing applications were rare, largely due to the lack of energy-efficient processors. Today, advances in chip fabrication techniques and processor architectures have dramatically improved energy efficiency for a broad range of processors. In addition, energy efficiency has become a top consideration for designers of some classes of processors—in some cases eclipsing factors such as speed. These advances are opening Read more...

Inside DSP on Low Power: How Low Can You Go?

When my old PDA croaked recently, I wasn't too upset. I'd had it for years and was looking forward to upgrading. I bought a new HP iPaq and was immediately impressed with its speed and features—especially the bright color display. But while the performance and capabilities of this little machine are a huge step forward from the previous-generation technology, battery life has taken a big step backward. Whereas my old Palm V would run for two weeks between charges, the new unit needs to be Read more...

Stretch Announces Software-Configurable Processor Architecture

Last month Stretch Inc. announced the availability of an unusual new processor chip family, the S5000. This family pairs a 300 MHz Tensilica Xtensa RISC processor core with a 100 MHz reconfigurable compute fabric. The reconfigurable fabric, referred to as the Instruction Set Extension Fabric (ISEF), allows a set of custom instructions to be added to the RISC processor's instruction set at run-time via software. The ISEF is logically separated into two sections, an organization that allows one Read more...

Freescale and TI Introduce Low-Cost, High-Speed DSPs

Freescale Semiconductor, Motorola’s soon-to-be spun-out semiconductor division, recently announced the MSC711x family of processors targeting telecom and VoIP applications. The MSC711x family is a lower-cost, binary-compatible derivative of Freescale’s high-end MSC81xx family, which targets performance-hungry communications infrastructure applications. Previous StarCore-based chips from Freescale were too expensive for many cost-sensitive applications. The lower cost of the MSC711x family Read more...

Case Study—Checking Out the Competition

Charting a processor roadmap is a difficult task. To set a successful course for a processor family, a processor developer must predict trends in the processor’s target applications as well as developments in competing processor families. The developer must then determine how to evolve its offerings in order to respond to these expected changes. For example, remaining competitive may require a carefully balanced mix of lowering prices, raising clock speeds, and adding architectural features Read more...

Intel Doubles PXA2xx’s Signal Processing Speed

Today Intel announced the PXA270, PXA271, PXA272, and PXA273—the latest members of its PXA2xx family of application processors. These new PXA27x family members are the first processors to include the “Wireless MMX” extensions to Intel’s ARM-compatible XScale architecture. The Wireless MMX extensions enable the PXA27x to perform 64-bit-wide single-instruction multiple-data (SIMD) operations. For example, the PXA27x can perform four 16-bit multiply-accumulate operations per cycle. In comparison Read more...

Embedded C Adopted and Explained

Last month the ISO officially adopted Embedded C, an extension to the C programming language that will ease signal processing software development. The ISO will publish the Embedded C specification as a “technical report.” An ISO technical report is similar to a standard, but carries somewhat less authority. Two features of the Embedded C specification are particularly relevant for signal processing applications. First, the specification supports fixed-point data types, which are often used Read more...

Jeff Bier’s Impulse Response—Multiprocessor Migraines?

Once upon a time, most signal processing applications were powered by single-processor chips. Today, though, there is an increasing trend towards using complex, heterogeneous multiprocessor chips. One such chip is Texas Instruments’ recently announced OMAP 2, which contains a microprocessor core, a DSP core, and multiple application-specific coprocessors. The primary motivation for this shift is not processing speed; the fastest uniprocessor DSPs and general-purpose microprocessors are fast Read more...

Inside DSP on Video: Smart Processor Picks for Digital Video

Adam Lins contributed to this article. Processor vendors offer a dizzying array of options for digital video applications. Selecting the right processor from the myriad options—and understanding the tradeoffs associated with each choice—is key to getting digital video products to market at the right time and at the right price. In this article we introduce basic concepts needed to select a processor for a digital video application. We begin with a discussion of the processing needs of a Read more...