A key technology enabling fast-paced embedded media processing developments is the high-performance, low-power, small-footprint convergent processor, a specialized device that combines the real-time control of a traditional microcontroller with the signal processing power of a DSP. This practical guide is your one-stop shop for understanding how to implement this cutting-edge technology. You will learn how to:

• Choose the proper processor for an application.
• Architect your system to avoid problems at the outset.
• Manage your data flows and memory accesses so that they line up properly
• Make smart-trade-offs in portable applications between power considerations and computational performance.
• Divide processing tasks across multiple cores.
• Program frameworks that optimize performance without needlessly increasing programming model complexity.
• Implement benchmarking techniques that will help you adapt a framework to best fit a target application, and much more!

Covering the entire spectrum of EMP-related design issues, from easy-to-understand explanations of basic architecture and direct memory access (DMA), to in-depth discussions of code optimization and power management, this practical book will be an invaluable aid to every engineer working with EMP, from the beginner to the seasoned expert.

• Comprehensive subject coverage with emphasis on practical application
• Essential assembly language code included throughout text
• Many real-world examples using Analog's popular Blackfin Processor architecture