The software programmable digital signal processor (DSP) has been the cornerstone of commercial configurable signal processing hardware for approximately 16 years. In comparatively recent times, approximately the last 5 years, a new option has been available for constructing programmable high-performance arithmetic datapaths: field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Recently, FPGA technology has undergone remarkable advances in density, performance and power. These advances have opened new dimensions for the signal processing engineer, allowing the construction of DSP systems that maintain the flexibility of software based solutions but providing performance closer to application specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

This paper provides an overview of FPGA DSP from both an applications and implementation perspective. Examples of FPGA DSP in image processing and digital communications will be used to illustrate the utility of FPGAs for high-performance DSP. An overview of the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is provided, and considerations for its efficient FPGA implementation discussed. A novel technique for efficiently implementing FPGA-based digital filters is presented. The design of several digital receiver functions, as well as the use of run-time re-configuration are covered.

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