Embedded Systems Design - Europe - August/September 2007 - (Page 23)

DSPs pose processors offer “DSP enhancements,” they have architecture deﬁciencies that aren’t suitable for real-time applications. In addition, DSPs are uniquely scalable. Scalability is a key capability for OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) addressing the SMB market. Remember, they need systems capable of supporting between 8 and 100 users. This range is a wide variance for a single processor that needs to be efﬁcient at both ends of the scale. DSPs are often available in families, with the smallest “family member” able to process a handful of channels of voice or video and the largest capable of hundreds of simultaneous channels. Conﬁgurations between the extremes are often handled by a mid-sized DSP or by combining several of the smaller DSPs into a DSP “farm.” OEMs taking advantage of this approach will beneﬁt from a common code base and development environment that scales across the entire SMB requirement. The result will be lower development cost and reduced time to develop derivative products. SMB products may be physically integrated with voice, data, and video support or a system of interoperating devices. They may be installed and managed by a service provider or by the SMB staff. In all cases, manageability is a key requirement. Among SMBs, the trend is growing in favor of “all-in-one” communications plans that combine core voice, data, and video services. For service providers, this trend is creating interest in customer-premises platforms for service delivery over a variety of network types, including DSL, cable, ﬁber, and wireless. Service providers and their customers want a platform that supports simple installation and maintenance, avoids the expense of skilled IT personnel and enables a low total cost of ownershi Many network-equipment vendors are developing single-platform solutions to converge communications services for SMBs, such as integrated network access switches and “ofﬁce-ina-box” devices. At the foundation of these platforms are the capabilities and design of DSP technology. For OEMs, choosing DSP technology can make a considerable difference for the types of services enabled, product development requirements, and platform ﬂexibility and scalability. A key factor for these new, converged-network access platforms is support for both voice and video on the same DSP, with a large number of channels for each trafﬁc type. When voice and video support are available on a single DSP, OEMs can realize the following beneﬁts: Reduced chip size and cost, for lower-cost user devices. Scalability within the user device as the customer’s business grows and uses more voice and video channels. A simpler development platform because a single DSP core supports both voice and video. A uniﬁed, scalable development architecture also allows OEMs to share development efforts across multiple products. Ability to mix and match voice and video channels on the same DSP for very small systems, or to dedicate the DSP to either voice or video traffic for high-density applications. Ability to connect IP and analog phones, fax machines, and analog modems. Process video feeds and connect video cameras within a single network device. Support for new, value-added applications such as biometric ﬁngerprint readers or speech recognition as used in the SMB auto attendant. Silicon solutions and their associated software should support the design of products ranging from IP phones to network-access platforms to carrierclass switches. These systems use DSPs to execute software that encodes and decodes voice and performs the signal processing required to facilitate the transmission of voice between various networks. To deliver toll-quality and high-deﬁnition voice and enhance the quality of all services, OEMs should be able to optimize these solutions for • • • • • • • www.embedded.com/europe | embedded systems design europe | AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2007 23 020-022-023-024_ESDE.indd 23 5/09/07 15:15:06 http://www.dvsinc.com http://www.dvsinc.com http://www.embedded.com/europe

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Embedded Systems Design - Europe - August/September 2007

Contents News Cover Feature: Annual Study Uncovers the Embedded Market DSP Serves the Convergence Needs of Small Business Embedded Test Offers Unique Value for Serial I/O The Software Detective: First-Fault Data Capture Boards May Shrink But Performance Doesn't New Products Advertising Contacts

Embedded Systems Design - Europe - August/September 2007

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