Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) are used wherever continuous data streams have to be processed at high speed and in real time. These data streams might be signals from the areas of audio, video, telecommunications, wireless, radar or industrial measuring systems. DSPs are an integral component in many devices we use every day such as mobile phones, cars and multimedia appliances and we could no longer get by without them.

A DSP processes continuous, digital data streams. These data streams come from the “material world”. They may originally have been acoustic waves, light waves, vibration, pressure, temperature or radio waves.

These physical waves and signals are first of all converted into analog electrical signals, like voltage for example, with the help of sensors. The magnitude of the voltage corresponds to the magnitude of the physical input signal.

Following that, the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) converts the voltage values into numerical values at certain intervals. The continuous input signal is therefore quantized in its magnitude, amplitude and in its chronological sequence.

This digital data stream is fed into the DSP. Depending on the application, the data are analysed, compressed, decompressed, encrypted, evaluated, improved, mixed or otherwise processed in the DSP.

Subsequently, the data streams leave the DSP and are converted from digital to analog. From there the electrical signals can be converted back into physical waves and signals in the “real world” with the help of loud speakers, lasers, LEDs, antennae and other actuators.