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Inside DSP on Tools: Languages for Signal Processing Software Development By BDTI, 6/15/2005 One of the first steps in the software development process is choosing the development language.  Not too long ago, the choice of language was simple: only assembly language was efficient enough to meet the demands of most signal processing applications. Now that processors are faster, memories are larger, and compilers are better, there are higher level language choices. This article looks at the advantages and tradeoffs of languages for signal processing software development — starting at the bottom and moving up from there. (More)

Inside DSP on Tools: Tools Make the Difference By Jennifer Eyre White, 6/15/2005 Ten years ago, most engineers choosing a processor for a signal processing application paid scant attention to the quality of the development tools.  Times have changed.  The best tools have sophisticated, specialized features tuned specifically for developing signal processing software. Developers are increasingly relying on these features to help them write and optimize their signal processing software more efficiently.  As a result, engineers today consider software development tools to be as important—or even more important—than processor architecture. (More)

Inside DSP on Tools: FPGA Tools Bridge Gap Between Algorithm and Implementation By Amit Shoham, 6/15/2005 Implementing an algorithm on an FPGA requires much greater design effort compared to a DSP or general-purpose processor.  Efficient FPGA implementations involve many subtle design choices and complex tradeoffs. In addition, the languages and tools traditionally used for FPGA design are unfamiliar to most DSP engineers. Fortunately, FPGA vendors and several tools vendors now provide high-level tools aimed at implementing signal processing algorithms on FPGAs while maintaining an intuitive representation of the algorithm. (More)

Inside DSP on Tools: Software Building Blocks for Signal Processing Applications By , 6/15/2005 System developers are obtaining more and more of their signal processing software from outside sources, making off-the-shelf software building blocks a vitally important element of the software development process.  In this article, we look at common types of building blocks such as function libraries, codecs, and reference designs. (More)

Inside DSP on Tools: Evaluating Software Development Tools By Jeff Bier, 6/15/2005 These days, “development infrastructure”—including tools, software component libraries, on-chip debug capabilities, and development boards—is a key factor in the selection of hardware.  Development infrastructure is a critical consideration when choosing which type of processing engine to use: whether it’s a general-purpose processor or DSP, for example, or maybe an alternative technology, such as an FPGA. Good tools can make the difference between a system that gets to market on budget and on time, and one that never makes it out of the lab. (More)