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DSP - technical definition

An integrated circuit, usually in the form of a microprocessor, designed specifically for high-speed signal processing (i.e., data manipulation) tasks, typically in real time, and built into another device. In a typical telecommunications application, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) samples an analog signal and converts it into digital format. A DSP then encodes the signal into pulse code modulation (PCM) format, employing an appropriate algorithm such as A-law or mu-law to produce a standard output like a DS-0 channel. A DSP might then filter noise and remove interference from the signal, and transcode, compress, and perhaps encrypt the signal prior to placing it on a carrier of an electrically based digital circuit for transmission. A matching DSP reverses the process on the receiving side of the communication, sending the signal to a digital-to-analog converter (ADC) for decoding back into real world analog form, perhaps with improved clarity, a shifted frequency, or demodulated. DSPs are used in audio, communications, image manipulation, and video applications. DSPs are built into cellular telephones, fax machines, modems, and many other devices. See also ADC, A-law, analog, carrier, channel, codec, compression, DAC, digital, DS-0, encode, encryption, interference, mu-law, noise, PCM, and transcode.

See DSP in Computer

(1) (Digital Signal Processor) A special-purpose CPU used for digital signal processing applications (see definition #2 below). It provides ultra-fast instruction sequences, such as shift and add, and multiply and add, which are commonly used in math-intensive signal processing. DSP chips are widely used in a myriad of devices, including cellphones, sound cards, fax machines, modems, hard disks and digital TVs. The first DSP chip used in a commercial product was believed to be in the very popular Speak & Spell game, introduced by TI in the late 1970s. See DSC.

(2) (Digital Signal Processing) A category of techniques that analyze signals from sources such as sound, weather satellites and earthquake monitors. Signals are converted into digital data and analyzed using various algorithms such as Fast Fourier Transform.

It's Easier in Digital
Once a signal has been reduced to numbers, its components can be isolated, analyzed and rearranged more easily than in analog form. DSP is used in many fields, including biomedicine, sonar, radar, seismology, audio, speech and music processing, imaging and communications. It is also used to create the concert hall and surround sound effects in stereo and home theater equipment.