Author: Guilherme Corrêa
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319257781
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 246
Book Description
This book discusses computational complexity of High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) encoders with coverage extending from the analysis of HEVC compression efficiency and computational complexity to the reduction and scaling of its encoding complexity. After an introduction to the topic and a review of the state-of-the-art research in the field, the authors provide a detailed analysis of the HEVC encoding tools compression efficiency and computational complexity. Readers will benefit from a set of algorithms for scaling the computational complexity of HEVC encoders, all of which take advantage from the flexibility of the frame partitioning structures allowed by the standard. The authors also provide a set of early termination methods based on data mining and machine learning techniques, which are able to reduce the computational complexity required to find the best frame partitioning structures. The applicability of the proposed methods is finally exemplified with an encoding time control system that employs the best complexity reduction and scaling methods presented throughout the book. The methods presented in this book are especially useful in power-constrained, portable multimedia devices to reduce energy consumption and to extend battery life. They can also be applied to portable and non-portable multimedia devices operating in real time with limited computational resources.
Complexity-Aware High Efficiency Video Coding
Author: Guilherme Corrêa
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319257781
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 246
Book Description
This book discusses computational complexity of High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) encoders with coverage extending from the analysis of HEVC compression efficiency and computational complexity to the reduction and scaling of its encoding complexity. After an introduction to the topic and a review of the state-of-the-art research in the field, the authors provide a detailed analysis of the HEVC encoding tools compression efficiency and computational complexity. Readers will benefit from a set of algorithms for scaling the computational complexity of HEVC encoders, all of which take advantage from the flexibility of the frame partitioning structures allowed by the standard. The authors also provide a set of early termination methods based on data mining and machine learning techniques, which are able to reduce the computational complexity required to find the best frame partitioning structures. The applicability of the proposed methods is finally exemplified with an encoding time control system that employs the best complexity reduction and scaling methods presented throughout the book. The methods presented in this book are especially useful in power-constrained, portable multimedia devices to reduce energy consumption and to extend battery life. They can also be applied to portable and non-portable multimedia devices operating in real time with limited computational resources.
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319257781
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 246
Book Description
This book discusses computational complexity of High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) encoders with coverage extending from the analysis of HEVC compression efficiency and computational complexity to the reduction and scaling of its encoding complexity. After an introduction to the topic and a review of the state-of-the-art research in the field, the authors provide a detailed analysis of the HEVC encoding tools compression efficiency and computational complexity. Readers will benefit from a set of algorithms for scaling the computational complexity of HEVC encoders, all of which take advantage from the flexibility of the frame partitioning structures allowed by the standard. The authors also provide a set of early termination methods based on data mining and machine learning techniques, which are able to reduce the computational complexity required to find the best frame partitioning structures. The applicability of the proposed methods is finally exemplified with an encoding time control system that employs the best complexity reduction and scaling methods presented throughout the book. The methods presented in this book are especially useful in power-constrained, portable multimedia devices to reduce energy consumption and to extend battery life. They can also be applied to portable and non-portable multimedia devices operating in real time with limited computational resources.
High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC)
Author: Vivienne Sze
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319068954
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 384
Book Description
This book provides developers, engineers, researchers and students with detailed knowledge about the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard. HEVC is the successor to the widely successful H.264/AVC video compression standard, and it provides around twice as much compression as H.264/AVC for the same level of quality. The applications for HEVC will not only cover the space of the well-known current uses and capabilities of digital video – they will also include the deployment of new services and the delivery of enhanced video quality, such as ultra-high-definition television (UHDTV) and video with higher dynamic range, wider range of representable color, and greater representation precision than what is typically found today. HEVC is the next major generation of video coding design – a flexible, reliable and robust solution that will support the next decade of video applications and ease the burden of video on world-wide network traffic. This book provides a detailed explanation of the various parts of the standard, insight into how it was developed, and in-depth discussion of algorithms and architectures for its implementation.
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319068954
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 384
Book Description
This book provides developers, engineers, researchers and students with detailed knowledge about the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard. HEVC is the successor to the widely successful H.264/AVC video compression standard, and it provides around twice as much compression as H.264/AVC for the same level of quality. The applications for HEVC will not only cover the space of the well-known current uses and capabilities of digital video – they will also include the deployment of new services and the delivery of enhanced video quality, such as ultra-high-definition television (UHDTV) and video with higher dynamic range, wider range of representable color, and greater representation precision than what is typically found today. HEVC is the next major generation of video coding design – a flexible, reliable and robust solution that will support the next decade of video applications and ease the burden of video on world-wide network traffic. This book provides a detailed explanation of the various parts of the standard, insight into how it was developed, and in-depth discussion of algorithms and architectures for its implementation.
Versatile Video Coding
Author: Humberto Ochoa Dominguez
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1000795055
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 458
Book Description
Video is the main driver of bandwidth use, accounting for over 80 per cent of consumer Internet traffic. Video compression is a critical component of many of the available multimedia applications, it is necessary for storage or transmission of digital video over today's band-limited networks. The majority of this video is coded using international standards developed in collaboration with ITU-T Study Group and MPEG. The MPEG family of video coding standards begun on the early 1990s with MPEG-1, developed for video and audio storage on CD-ROMs, with support for progressive video. MPEG-2 was standardized in 1995 for applications of video on DVD, standard and high definition television, with support for interlaced and progressive video. MPEG-4 part 2, also known as MPEG-2 video, was standardized in 1999 for applications of low- bit rate multimedia on mobile platforms and the Internet, with the support of object-based or content based coding by modeling the scene as background and foreground. Since MPEG-1, the main video coding standards were based on the so-called macroblocks. However, research groups continued the work beyond the traditional video coding architectures and found that macroblocks could limit the performance of the compression when using high-resolution video. Therefore, in 2013 the high efficiency video coding (HEVC) also known and H.265, was released, with a structure similar to H.264/AVC but using coding units with more flexible partitions than the traditional macroblocks. HEVC has greater flexibility in prediction modes and transform block sizes, also it has a more sophisticated interpolation and de blocking filters. In 2006 the VC-1 was released. VC-1 is a video codec implemented by Microsoft and the Microsoft Windows Media Video (VMW) 9 and standardized by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE). In 2017 the Joint Video Experts Team (JVET) released a call for proposals for a new video coding standard initially called Beyond the HEVC, Future Video Coding (FVC) or known as Versatile Video Coding (VVC). VVC is being built on top of HEVC for application on Standard Dynamic Range (SDR), High Dynamic Range (HDR) and 360° Video. The VVC is planned to be finalized by 2020. This book presents the new VVC, and updates on the HEVC. The book discusses the advances in lossless coding and covers the topic of screen content coding. Technical topics discussed include: Beyond the High Efficiency Video CodingHigh Efficiency Video Coding encoderScreen contentLossless and visually lossless coding algorithmsFast coding algorithmsVisual quality assessmentOther screen content coding algorithmsOverview of JPEG Series
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1000795055
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 458
Book Description
Video is the main driver of bandwidth use, accounting for over 80 per cent of consumer Internet traffic. Video compression is a critical component of many of the available multimedia applications, it is necessary for storage or transmission of digital video over today's band-limited networks. The majority of this video is coded using international standards developed in collaboration with ITU-T Study Group and MPEG. The MPEG family of video coding standards begun on the early 1990s with MPEG-1, developed for video and audio storage on CD-ROMs, with support for progressive video. MPEG-2 was standardized in 1995 for applications of video on DVD, standard and high definition television, with support for interlaced and progressive video. MPEG-4 part 2, also known as MPEG-2 video, was standardized in 1999 for applications of low- bit rate multimedia on mobile platforms and the Internet, with the support of object-based or content based coding by modeling the scene as background and foreground. Since MPEG-1, the main video coding standards were based on the so-called macroblocks. However, research groups continued the work beyond the traditional video coding architectures and found that macroblocks could limit the performance of the compression when using high-resolution video. Therefore, in 2013 the high efficiency video coding (HEVC) also known and H.265, was released, with a structure similar to H.264/AVC but using coding units with more flexible partitions than the traditional macroblocks. HEVC has greater flexibility in prediction modes and transform block sizes, also it has a more sophisticated interpolation and de blocking filters. In 2006 the VC-1 was released. VC-1 is a video codec implemented by Microsoft and the Microsoft Windows Media Video (VMW) 9 and standardized by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE). In 2017 the Joint Video Experts Team (JVET) released a call for proposals for a new video coding standard initially called Beyond the HEVC, Future Video Coding (FVC) or known as Versatile Video Coding (VVC). VVC is being built on top of HEVC for application on Standard Dynamic Range (SDR), High Dynamic Range (HDR) and 360° Video. The VVC is planned to be finalized by 2020. This book presents the new VVC, and updates on the HEVC. The book discusses the advances in lossless coding and covers the topic of screen content coding. Technical topics discussed include: Beyond the High Efficiency Video CodingHigh Efficiency Video Coding encoderScreen contentLossless and visually lossless coding algorithmsFast coding algorithmsVisual quality assessmentOther screen content coding algorithmsOverview of JPEG Series
High Efficiency Video Coding and Other Emerging Standards
Author: K.R. Rao
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1000794636
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 319
Book Description
High Efficiency Video Coding and Other Emerging Standards provides an overview of high efficiency video coding (HEVC) and all its extensions and profiles. There are nearly 300 projects and problems included, and about 400 references related to HEVC alone. Next generation video coding (NGVC) beyond HEVC is also described. Other video coding standards such as AVS2, DAALA, THOR, VP9 (Google), DIRAC, VC1, and AV1 are addressed, and image coding standards such as JPEG, JPEG-LS, JPEG2000, JPEG XR, JPEG XS, JPEG XT and JPEG-Pleno are also listed.Understanding of these standards and their implementation is facilitated by overview papers, standards documents, reference software, software manuals, test sequences, source codes, tutorials, keynote speakers, panel discussions, reflector and ftp/web sites – all in the public domain. Access to these categories is also provided.
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1000794636
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 319
Book Description
High Efficiency Video Coding and Other Emerging Standards provides an overview of high efficiency video coding (HEVC) and all its extensions and profiles. There are nearly 300 projects and problems included, and about 400 references related to HEVC alone. Next generation video coding (NGVC) beyond HEVC is also described. Other video coding standards such as AVS2, DAALA, THOR, VP9 (Google), DIRAC, VC1, and AV1 are addressed, and image coding standards such as JPEG, JPEG-LS, JPEG2000, JPEG XR, JPEG XS, JPEG XT and JPEG-Pleno are also listed.Understanding of these standards and their implementation is facilitated by overview papers, standards documents, reference software, software manuals, test sequences, source codes, tutorials, keynote speakers, panel discussions, reflector and ftp/web sites – all in the public domain. Access to these categories is also provided.
Computer Vision – ECCV 2020
Author: Andrea Vedaldi
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030585360
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 840
Book Description
The 30-volume set, comprising the LNCS books 12346 until 12375, constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 16th European Conference on Computer Vision, ECCV 2020, which was planned to be held in Glasgow, UK, during August 23-28, 2020. The conference was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 1360 revised papers presented in these proceedings were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 5025 submissions. The papers deal with topics such as computer vision; machine learning; deep neural networks; reinforcement learning; object recognition; image classification; image processing; object detection; semantic segmentation; human pose estimation; 3d reconstruction; stereo vision; computational photography; neural networks; image coding; image reconstruction; object recognition; motion estimation.
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030585360
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 840
Book Description
The 30-volume set, comprising the LNCS books 12346 until 12375, constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 16th European Conference on Computer Vision, ECCV 2020, which was planned to be held in Glasgow, UK, during August 23-28, 2020. The conference was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 1360 revised papers presented in these proceedings were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 5025 submissions. The papers deal with topics such as computer vision; machine learning; deep neural networks; reinforcement learning; object recognition; image classification; image processing; object detection; semantic segmentation; human pose estimation; 3d reconstruction; stereo vision; computational photography; neural networks; image coding; image reconstruction; object recognition; motion estimation.
Resource Management in Mobile Computing Environments
Author: Constandinos X. Mavromoustakis
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319067044
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 598
Book Description
This book reports the latest advances on the design and development of mobile computing systems, describing their applications in the context of modeling, analysis and efficient resource management. It explores the challenges on mobile computing and resource management paradigms, including research efforts and approaches recently carried out in response to them to address future open-ended issues. The book includes 26 rigorously refereed chapters written by leading international researchers, providing the readers with technical and scientific information about various aspects of mobile computing, from basic concepts to advanced findings, reporting the state-of-the-art on resource management in such environments. It is mainly intended as a reference guide for researchers and practitioners involved in the design, development and applications of mobile computing systems, seeking solutions to related issues. It also represents a useful textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses, addressing special topics such as: mobile and ad-hoc wireless networks; peer-to-peer systems for mobile computing; novel resource management techniques in cognitive radio networks; and power management in mobile computing systems.
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319067044
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 598
Book Description
This book reports the latest advances on the design and development of mobile computing systems, describing their applications in the context of modeling, analysis and efficient resource management. It explores the challenges on mobile computing and resource management paradigms, including research efforts and approaches recently carried out in response to them to address future open-ended issues. The book includes 26 rigorously refereed chapters written by leading international researchers, providing the readers with technical and scientific information about various aspects of mobile computing, from basic concepts to advanced findings, reporting the state-of-the-art on resource management in such environments. It is mainly intended as a reference guide for researchers and practitioners involved in the design, development and applications of mobile computing systems, seeking solutions to related issues. It also represents a useful textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses, addressing special topics such as: mobile and ad-hoc wireless networks; peer-to-peer systems for mobile computing; novel resource management techniques in cognitive radio networks; and power management in mobile computing systems.
Parallel Computing is Everywhere
Author: S. Bassini
Publisher: IOS Press
ISBN: 1614998434
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 852
Book Description
The most powerful computers work by harnessing the combined computational power of millions of processors, and exploiting the full potential of such large-scale systems is something which becomes more difficult with each succeeding generation of parallel computers. Alternative architectures and computer paradigms are increasingly being investigated in an attempt to address these difficulties. Added to this, the pervasive presence of heterogeneous and parallel devices in consumer products such as mobile phones, tablets, personal computers and servers also demands efficient programming environments and applications aimed at small-scale parallel systems as opposed to large-scale supercomputers. This book presents a selection of papers presented at the conference: Parallel Computing (ParCo2017), held in Bologna, Italy, on 12 to 15 September 2017. The conference included contributions about alternative approaches to achieving High Performance Computing (HPC) to potentially surpass exa- and zetascale performances, as well as papers on the application of quantum computers and FPGA processors. These developments are aimed at making available systems better capable of solving intensive computational scientific/engineering problems such as climate models, security applications and classic NP-problems, some of which cannot currently be managed by even the most powerful supercomputers available. New areas of application, such as robotics, AI and learning systems, data science, the Internet of Things (IoT), and in-car systems and autonomous vehicles were also covered. As always, ParCo2017 attracted a large number of notable contributions covering present and future developments in parallel computing, and the book will be of interest to all those working in the field.
Publisher: IOS Press
ISBN: 1614998434
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 852
Book Description
The most powerful computers work by harnessing the combined computational power of millions of processors, and exploiting the full potential of such large-scale systems is something which becomes more difficult with each succeeding generation of parallel computers. Alternative architectures and computer paradigms are increasingly being investigated in an attempt to address these difficulties. Added to this, the pervasive presence of heterogeneous and parallel devices in consumer products such as mobile phones, tablets, personal computers and servers also demands efficient programming environments and applications aimed at small-scale parallel systems as opposed to large-scale supercomputers. This book presents a selection of papers presented at the conference: Parallel Computing (ParCo2017), held in Bologna, Italy, on 12 to 15 September 2017. The conference included contributions about alternative approaches to achieving High Performance Computing (HPC) to potentially surpass exa- and zetascale performances, as well as papers on the application of quantum computers and FPGA processors. These developments are aimed at making available systems better capable of solving intensive computational scientific/engineering problems such as climate models, security applications and classic NP-problems, some of which cannot currently be managed by even the most powerful supercomputers available. New areas of application, such as robotics, AI and learning systems, data science, the Internet of Things (IoT), and in-car systems and autonomous vehicles were also covered. As always, ParCo2017 attracted a large number of notable contributions covering present and future developments in parallel computing, and the book will be of interest to all those working in the field.
The H.264 Advanced Video Compression Standard
Author: Iain E. Richardson
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119965306
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 357
Book Description
H.264 Advanced Video Coding or MPEG-4 Part 10 is fundamental to a growing range of markets such as high definition broadcasting, internet video sharing, mobile video and digital surveillance. This book reflects the growing importance and implementation of H.264 video technology. Offering a detailed overview of the system, it explains the syntax, tools and features of H.264 and equips readers with practical advice on how to get the most out of the standard. Packed with clear examples and illustrations to explain H.264 technology in an accessible and practical way. Covers basic video coding concepts, video formats and visual quality. Explains how to measure and optimise the performance of H.264 and how to balance bitrate, computation and video quality. Analyses recent work on scalable and multi-view versions of H.264, case studies of H.264 codecs and new technological developments such as the popular High Profile extensions. An invaluable companion for developers, broadcasters, system integrators, academics and students who want to master this burgeoning state-of-the-art technology. "[This book] unravels the mysteries behind the latest H.264 standard and delves deeper into each of the operations in the codec. The reader can implement (simulate, design, evaluate, optimize) the codec with all profiles and levels. The book ends with extensions and directions (such as SVC and MVC) for further research." Professor K. R. Rao, The University of Texas at Arlington, co-inventor of the Discrete Cosine Transform
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119965306
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 357
Book Description
H.264 Advanced Video Coding or MPEG-4 Part 10 is fundamental to a growing range of markets such as high definition broadcasting, internet video sharing, mobile video and digital surveillance. This book reflects the growing importance and implementation of H.264 video technology. Offering a detailed overview of the system, it explains the syntax, tools and features of H.264 and equips readers with practical advice on how to get the most out of the standard. Packed with clear examples and illustrations to explain H.264 technology in an accessible and practical way. Covers basic video coding concepts, video formats and visual quality. Explains how to measure and optimise the performance of H.264 and how to balance bitrate, computation and video quality. Analyses recent work on scalable and multi-view versions of H.264, case studies of H.264 codecs and new technological developments such as the popular High Profile extensions. An invaluable companion for developers, broadcasters, system integrators, academics and students who want to master this burgeoning state-of-the-art technology. "[This book] unravels the mysteries behind the latest H.264 standard and delves deeper into each of the operations in the codec. The reader can implement (simulate, design, evaluate, optimize) the codec with all profiles and levels. The book ends with extensions and directions (such as SVC and MVC) for further research." Professor K. R. Rao, The University of Texas at Arlington, co-inventor of the Discrete Cosine Transform
Digital Video Concepts, Methods, and Metrics
Author: Shahriar Akramullah
Publisher: Apress
ISBN: 1430267135
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 359
Book Description
Digital Video Concepts, Methods, and Metrics: Quality, Compression, Performance, and Power Trade-off Analysis is a concise reference for professionals in a wide range of applications and vocations. It focuses on giving the reader mastery over the concepts, methods and metrics of digital video coding, so that readers have sufficient understanding to choose and tune coding parameters for optimum results that would suit their particular needs for quality, compression, speed and power. The practical aspects are many: Uploading video to the Internet is only the beginning of a trend where a consumer controls video quality and speed by trading off various other factors. Open source and proprietary applications such as video e-mail, private party content generation, editing and archiving, and cloud asset management would give further control to the end-user. Digital video is frequently compressed and coded for easier storage and transmission. This process involves visual quality loss due to typical data compression techniques and requires use of high performance computing systems. A careful balance between the amount of compression, the visual quality loss and the coding speed is necessary to keep the total system cost down, while delivering a good user experience for various video applications. At the same time, power consumption optimizations are also essential to get the job done on inexpensive consumer platforms. Trade-offs can be made among these factors, and relevant considerations are particularly important in resource-constrained low power devices. To better understand the trade-offs this book discusses a comprehensive set of engineering principles, strategies, methods and metrics. It also exposes readers to approaches on how to differentiate and rank video coding solutions.
Publisher: Apress
ISBN: 1430267135
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 359
Book Description
Digital Video Concepts, Methods, and Metrics: Quality, Compression, Performance, and Power Trade-off Analysis is a concise reference for professionals in a wide range of applications and vocations. It focuses on giving the reader mastery over the concepts, methods and metrics of digital video coding, so that readers have sufficient understanding to choose and tune coding parameters for optimum results that would suit their particular needs for quality, compression, speed and power. The practical aspects are many: Uploading video to the Internet is only the beginning of a trend where a consumer controls video quality and speed by trading off various other factors. Open source and proprietary applications such as video e-mail, private party content generation, editing and archiving, and cloud asset management would give further control to the end-user. Digital video is frequently compressed and coded for easier storage and transmission. This process involves visual quality loss due to typical data compression techniques and requires use of high performance computing systems. A careful balance between the amount of compression, the visual quality loss and the coding speed is necessary to keep the total system cost down, while delivering a good user experience for various video applications. At the same time, power consumption optimizations are also essential to get the job done on inexpensive consumer platforms. Trade-offs can be made among these factors, and relevant considerations are particularly important in resource-constrained low power devices. To better understand the trade-offs this book discusses a comprehensive set of engineering principles, strategies, methods and metrics. It also exposes readers to approaches on how to differentiate and rank video coding solutions.
Custom Memory Management Methodology
Author: Francky Catthoor
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1475728492
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 352
Book Description
The main intention of this book is to give an impression of the state-of-the-art in system-level memory management (data transfer and storage) related issues for complex data-dominated real-time signal and data processing applications. The material is based on research at IMEC in this area in the period 1989- 1997. In order to deal with the stringent timing requirements and the data dominated characteristics of this domain, we have adopted a target architecture style and a systematic methodology to make the exploration and optimization of such systems feasible. Our approach is also very heavily application driven which is illustrated by several realistic demonstrators, partly used as red-thread examples in the book. Moreover, the book addresses only the steps above the traditional high-level synthesis (scheduling and allocation) or compilation (traditional or ILP oriented) tasks. The latter are mainly focussed on scalar or scalar stream operations and data where the internal structure of the complex data types is not exploited, in contrast to the approaches discussed here. The proposed methodologies are largely independent of the level of programmability in the data-path and controller so they are valuable for the realisation of both hardware and software systems. Our target domain consists of signal and data processing systems which deal with large amounts of data.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1475728492
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 352
Book Description
The main intention of this book is to give an impression of the state-of-the-art in system-level memory management (data transfer and storage) related issues for complex data-dominated real-time signal and data processing applications. The material is based on research at IMEC in this area in the period 1989- 1997. In order to deal with the stringent timing requirements and the data dominated characteristics of this domain, we have adopted a target architecture style and a systematic methodology to make the exploration and optimization of such systems feasible. Our approach is also very heavily application driven which is illustrated by several realistic demonstrators, partly used as red-thread examples in the book. Moreover, the book addresses only the steps above the traditional high-level synthesis (scheduling and allocation) or compilation (traditional or ILP oriented) tasks. The latter are mainly focussed on scalar or scalar stream operations and data where the internal structure of the complex data types is not exploited, in contrast to the approaches discussed here. The proposed methodologies are largely independent of the level of programmability in the data-path and controller so they are valuable for the realisation of both hardware and software systems. Our target domain consists of signal and data processing systems which deal with large amounts of data.