It’s so tempting. You need to figure out how much processing power you’ll require to implement a particular video compression algorithm, and there, out on the Web, is the data you need—but for a slightly different scenario. Perhaps the data is for a smaller frame size than what you have in mind. Or maybe it’s for a low compressed bit rate, and your application will be using a higher one.

Digital video has emerged as one of the hottest markets for DSPs and other types of processors. As a result, many processors now target digital video applications. However, not every processor is up to the challenge. Digital video applications have heavy computation and memory-bandwidth loads, so it’s critical to choose a processor that can handle those demands. For this reason, system and SoC designers who are evaluating processors for digital video applications are strongly motivated to obtain credible video-oriented performance data.

Those of us who earn our livelihoods working with embedded signal processing software understand that optimization isn’t just something we do for fun (though often it is quite fun). Optimization is usually done to meet hard real-time constraints, trim product costs, or stretch battery life.

This month, Microchip Technology announced the dsPIC33F family of 16-bit, flash-based “digital signal controllers,” or “DSCs.” (The term “DSC” refers to microcontrollers that include support for digital signal processing.) The 3.3-volt dsPIC33F uses the same instruction set as its predecessor, the dsPIC30, but the new family will run at a faster clock speed (40 MHz vs. 30 MHz) and add an 8-channel DMA controller.

While nearly all signal processing applications require some degree of software optimization, some applications require a sophisticated, multi-tiered optimization approach in order to meet their performance goals.

In the last year or so I have noticed an impressive surge in new processors targeting digital video applications. Hardly a month goes by without a vendor announcing that it has the ultimate video processor. Countless new companies have sprung up to address this hot market, and established processor vendors are scrambling to re-spin their offerings for digital video.