In practice, different parts of a DSP system are often designed to operate at different sampling

rates because of the advantages it offers. Since real-time digital filters must complete all
algorithmic operations in one sampling interval, a smaller sampling interval (i.e. a higher
sampling rate) can impose an added computational burden during the digital processing stage. It
is for this reason that the sampling rate is often reduced (by decimation) before performing DSP
operations and increased (by interpolation) before reconstruction. This leads to the concept of
multirate signal processing where different subsystems operate at different sampling rates best
suited for the given task.

Digital Signal Processing Applications

Area

DSP algorithm

General-purpose

Filtering and convolution, adaptive filtering, detection and correlation,

spectral estimation and Fourier transform

Speech processing

Coding and decoding, encryption and decryption, speech recognition

and synthesis, speaker identification, echo cancellation, cochlea-implant
signal processing
hi-fi encoding and decoding, noise cancellation, audio equalization,
ambient acoustics emulation, audio mixing
and editing, sound synthesis
Compression and decompression, rotation, image transmission and
decompositioning, image recognition, image enhancement, retinaimplant signal processing
Voice mail, facsimile (fax), modems, cellular telephones,
modulators/demodulators, line equalizers, data encryption and
decryption, digital communications and LANs, spread-spectrum
technology, wireless LANs, radio and television, biomedical signal
processing
Servo control, disk control, printer control, engine control, guidance and
navigation, vibration control, power system monitors, robots
Beamforming, waveform generation, transient analysis, steady-state
analysis, scientific instrumentation, radar and sonar

Audio processing

Image processing

Information systems

Control
Instrumentation

There are many applications where the signal at a given sampling rate needs to be converted into
another signal with a different sampling rate.
Example1: In digital audio, three different sampling rates are presently employed: 32 KHz in
broadcasting, 44.1 KHz in digital CD, and 48 KHz in digital audio tape (DAT) and other
applications. Conversion of sampling rates of audio signals among these three different rates is
necessary in many situations.

Example 2: In Video applications, the sampling rates of NTSC (National Television Systems
Committee) and PAL (Phase Alternate Line) composite video signals are, respectively,
14.3181818 MHz and 17.734475 MHz, whereas the sampling rates of the digital component
video signal are 13.5 MHz and 6.75 MHz for the luminance and the color difference signals,
respectively.
Example 3: DTMF Receivers
A touch-tone phone or dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) transmitter/receiver makes use of
digital oscillators to generate audible tones by pressing buttons on a keypad. Pressing a button
produces a two-tone signal containing a high- and a low-frequency tone. Each button is
associated with a unique pair of low-frequency and high-frequency tones. For example, pressing
the button marked 5 would generate a combination of 770-Hz and 1336-Hz tones. There are four
low frequencies and four high frequencies. The low- and high-frequency groups have been
chosen to ensure that the paired combinations do not interfere with speech. The highest
frequency (1633 Hz) is not currently in commercial use. The tones can be generated by using a
parallel combination of two programmable digital oscillators.
Programmable filters are used to adjust the frequency-selective properties of the filters. Multirate
filters are used in the processing of many complex signals with different rates of fluctuation,
whereas two dimensional digital filters are the filters used in image processing. Adaptive filters
are used invariably when the transmission medium between the transmitter and receiver changes.
For example, when a telephone conversation is switched from one point to another and the cable
or the microwave link changes, or when the mobile phone moves as the talker moves over a wide
territory, adaptive filters are absolutely necessary to compensate for the distortion of the signal as
it passes through the transmission link.

Sampling Rate Alteration in Different Applications

S.No.

Area

Application

1.

Video format
conversion

Film (24 frames/sec) to

Television (NTSC format30 frames/sec)

2.

Speech compression

3.

Conversion between
audio formats (CDDAT)

Speech
on DAT (48 KHz) to
Speech for
Telephone (8 KHz)
Compact
Disc (44.1 KHz) to Digital
Audio Tape (48 KHz)

Frequency
Range

Sampling Rate
Alteration

24 frames/sec to 5/4 Rate Change

30 frames/sec
30/24
48 KHz to 8
KHz
8/48
44.1 KHz to 48
KHz
48.0/44.1

1/6 Rate Change

48.0/44.1 Rate
Change

4.

5.
6.

Audio broadcasting
to hearing Aid

Mobile
Communication
Navigation

Broadcasting (32 KHz) to

Hearing Aid (20-20 KHz)

Mobile and Car Phone

Ship and Aircraft
Communication

32 KHz to 20
Hz

1/1600 Rate
Change

32 KHz to 20
KHz
300 MHz to 3
GHz
300 KHz to 30
MHz

1/1.6 Rate
Change