Customer Reviews

Discrete-Time Signal Processing (Prentice-Hall Signal Processing Series)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am referring here to the Digital Signal Processing (DSP) that the authors wrote in the 1970's or earlier versus the more recent editions of Discrete-Time Signal Processing (DTSP).

I have both the DSP version and the 1st edition of DTSP, and used them for coursework. From my personal recollection: I tried to take an introductory graduate-level DSP course twice, once with the old DSP text (but did not get to finish), and the second time completing the course from another college with the DTSP text. DSP, in spite of its introductory and pioneering nature, turned out to be the more readable and better organized textbook among the two. It is shorter by many pages, less verbose, less "heavy and circular in arguments", and quicker to come to the point, not to mention being clearer, more lucid, and well-illustrated with good examples and diagrams without overwhelming the reader. The beginning chapters are well written with introduction to the applications of Complex Variables in the context of DSP as an EE subject. In short, DSP by Oppenheim and Schafer is the less ambitious book of the two, but really accomplishes much more by doing less and focusing on the essential concepts underlying DSP.

I can see why and where many beginning EE Signal Processing students tend to get frustrated. DTSP, 1st edition, is actually a rewritten version of DSP, albeit meant to be a major extension (or expansion, if you wish) with more applications appended and "heavier expositions". (This reminds me of many other books by MIT EE faculty on the market.) I find the most frustrating part of DTSP is the chapters on transcending from the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) to Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Why? All you have to do is look at the way the authors present the DFT, then get to understand the truncated DFT, and try to follow the steps that supposedly get one toward FFT's - not at all clear or well-connected conceptually. It is even more obvious when one tries to do the moderately difficult and somewhat tedious exercises at the back of each chapter. While it is true that DTSP appears superficially "precise and rigorous", I find it a bit convoluted and too ambitious in its treatment of digital signal processing topics, indicative of a desire to reflect trappings of the latest applications by demonstrating the power of the theory presented. Why not just return to the fundamentals of DSP and limit the topics to a manageable level, thereby retaining a high degree of visibility for the more average EE student. (Maybe DTSP was meant to be taught by the authors themselves, or by their Ph.D. students. That way, the obscure points, discussions and topics in the textbook could be explained away in live classroom lectures via student interactions. Right?) In spite of all this, I think DTSP has intrinsic value in EE Signal Processing, being that it retained much of the key concepts in the older DSP text with some original flavor.

Suggestion to authors: Write another book on DSP, but limit the book to concepts and some elementary applications, just like the 1970's original, or better still edit and update the original to be published as an inexpensive classic by, say, Dover. Rewrite DTSP as the follow-on textbook. How about it? I really miss the lucid style of the more original DSP textbook by the authors. And I mean it, seriously!

This is the outstanding 2nd edition of Oppenheim's classic DSP book, which for over two decades was the only real choice for a textbook on the subject. That was too bad, since the first edition was probably the worst thing I have ever seen in print - terse, incomprehensible, and with only a few awful and poorly illustrated examples. When I decided to take a refresher course in DSP, I was horrified to see our class would be using the second edition of that horrendous text. What I found instead was a completely rehabilitated textbook! This is not a beginner's DSP textbook by any stretch of the imagination, but absolutely everything is explained and there are plenty of well worked out examples. The end-of-chapter problems are broken down into simple, intermediate, and advanced problems with quite a few mind-puzzlers in the advanced section. Plus, the answers to the first 20 problems in every chapter are in the back of the book.
There is really nothing unique about the book's format. What does makes the book unique is the density and amount of material included. Just about every page is packed with well-explained important information. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has had a prior semester of an upper-level undergraduate class in Signals and Systems and wants to study DSP. An accompanying book that you might find helpful is "Understanding Digital Signal Processing" by Lyons. That book is good for getting an intuitive feel for DSP. Another book that will help you with some of the earlier concepts in this book (linear systems, DTFT, Z-transform, DFT, basic filter design) and some of the direct computations involved is "Schaum's Outline of Digital Signal Processing". Amazon does not show the table of contents, so I do that here:
1. Introduction.
2. Discrete-Time Signals and Systems.
Introduction. Discrete-time Signals: Sequences. Discrete-time Systems. Linear Time-Invariant Systems. Properties of Linear Time-Invariant Systems. Linear Constant-Coefficient Difference Equations. Frequency-Domain Representation of Discrete-Time Signals and Systems. Representation of Sequence by Fourier Transforms. Symmetry Properties of the Fourier Transform. Fourier Transform Theorems. Discrete-Time Random Signals. Summary.
3. The z-Transform.
Introduction. The z-Transform. Properties of the Region of Convergence for the z-Transform. The Inverse z-Transform. z-Transform Properties. Summary.
4. Sampling of Continuous-Time Signals.
Introduction. Periodic Sampling. Frequency-Domain Representation of Sampling. Reconstruction of a Bandlimited Signal from its Samples. Discrete-Time Processing of Continuous-Time Signals. Continuous-Time Processing of Discrete-Time Signals. Changing the Sampling Rate Using Discrete-Time Processing. Practical Considerations. Oversampling and Noise Shaping. Summary.
5. Transform Analysis of Linear Time-Invariant Systems.
Introduction. The Frequency Response of LTI Systems. System Functions for Systems Characterized by Linearity. Frequency Response for Rational System Functions. Relationship Between Magnitude and Phase. All-Pass Systems. Minimum-Phase Systems. Linear Systems with Generalized Linear Phase. Summary.
6. Structures for Discrete-Time Systems.
Introduction. Block Diagram Representation of Linear Constant-Coefficient Difference Equations. Signal Flow Graph Representation of Linear Constant-Coefficient Difference Equations. Basic Structures for IIR Systems. Transposed Forms. Basic Network Structures for FIR Systems. Overview of Finite-Precision Numerical Effects. The Effects of Coefficient Quantization. Effects of Roundoff Noise in Digital Filters. Zero-Input Limit Cycles in Fixed-Point Realizations of IIR Digital Filters. Summary.
7. Filter Design Techniques.
Introduction. Design of Discrete-Time IIR Filters from Continuous-Time Filters. Design of FIR Filters by Windowing. Examples of FIR Filter Design by the Kaiser Window Method. Optimum Approximations of FIR Filters. Examples of FIR Equiripple Approximation. Comments on IIR and FIR Digital Filters. Summary.
8. The Discrete Fourier Transform.
Introduction. Representation of Periodic Sequences: the Discrete Fourier Series. Summary of Properties of the DFS Representation of Periodic Sequences. The Fourier Transform of Periodic Signals. Sampling the Fourier Transform. Fourier Representation of Finite-Duration Sequences: The Discrete-Fourier Transform. Properties of the Discrete Fourier Transform. Summary of Properties of the Discrete Fourier Transform. Linear Convolution Using the Discrete Fourier Transform. The Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT). Summary.
9. Computation of the Discrete Fourier Transform.
Introduction. Efficient Computation of the Discrete Fourier Transform. The Goertzel Algorithm Decimation-in-Time FFT Algorithms. Decimation-in-Frequency FFT Algorithms. Practical Considerations Implementation of the DFT Using Convolution. Summary.
10. Fourier Analysis of Signals Using the Discrete Fourier Transform.
Introduction. Fourier Analysis of Signals Using the DFT. DFT Analysis of Sinusoidal Signals. The Time-Dependent Fourier Transform. Block Convolution Using the Time-Dependent Fourier Transform. Fourier Analysis of Nonstationary Signals. Fourier Analysis of Stationary Random Signals: the Periodogram. Spectrum Analysis of Random Signals Using Estimates of the Autocorrelation Sequence. Summary.
11. Discrete Hilbert Transforms.
Introduction. Real and Imaginary Part Sufficiency of the Fourier Transform for Causal Sequences. Sufficiency Theorems for Finite-Length Sequences. Relationships Between Magnitude and Phase. Hilbert Transform Relations for Complex Sequences. Summary.

Although the authors say this book could be used as an introductory text in DSP, it is not. This book is a no nonsense approach towards DSP. You need firm grounding in calculus, signals and systems to be close to even understand what the authors intend to say.

With a good professor and with the skill set that the authors assume you have, you will find this a life long reference. How ever for the not so sure Stanley's Digital Signal processing is a much better choice.

The beginner should find Richard Lyon's Understanding DSP to be more user friendly, but if you outgrow Lyon, then this is the book that would whet your appetite.This book will be one you will frequently refer to clear your doubts.

This is probably the most complete reference in DSP. It's full of examples covering the whole stuff in DSP. However this is certainly not fur use as an introductory book because the aim is not the explanation of fundamental concepts in DSP (for that go to Lyons "Understanding Digital Signal Processing"). Maybe it is possible to learn DSP with this book but then as a companion of a good undergrad course, not for self-study.

As stated by another reviewer, this book is over-crowded with developments, details and examples that could be overwhelming to the newcomer. This is probably its biggest drawback, in that its completeness hinders on its readability. So be aware that this is not an easy DSP book, it's THE DSP book.

I am currently taking a first course in DSP where O&S is the text used. The text is just plain HELL to read. Explanations are often incomplete. I don't believe my professor had a choice in the selection because the other day he called in incoherent. I recently spoke to a second professor at UT who said he never uses it in his courses because he believes the authors are trying to impress their colleagues with the writing style.

Specific topics covered so far in the course, which are mentioned, but NOT covered in the text: Closed form solution of Difference Equations, complex convolution theorem, unilateral Z-transform and their use in the solution of Difference Equations with non-zero initial conditions, and Contour Integration.

I can see where some people use this as a reference, because there are many brief, accurate statements. But if you're trying to learn this material for the first time, look elsewhere.

This book has its share of shortcomings, but overall, it is probably the best and most complete reference on DSP. Unfortunately, it does skip a few important topics. For example, the second edition threw out the section on designing IIR bandpass and highpass filters from lowpass prototypes. This section used to be in the first edition and is VERY important, so I don't see how Oppenheim & Schafer could have justified throwing it out. They also conspicuously left out filter design based on the frequency sampling method. But in spite of these omissions, it's hard to recommend another book over this one. The one that comes closest is Mitra's.

In the end, if you want to learn DSP and work in the field, you have to have this book, as well as the ones by Mitra, Proakis & Manolakis, Jackson, and, of course, Rabiner & Gold. If you get all those, you'll have the complete reference of CORE DSP texts.

I found this book to be an excellent fundamental text about DSP. But is it a good introductory book for beginners? Well, it depends... The book covers the essential topics in great depth and that means every one of its 800+ pages is packed with concepts and details and examples. The style is clear, but the amount of information can be a little overwhelming when you read it for the first time. If you have time, patience, a good maths background, the desire to master the subject, and someone to clarify your doubts, this can be the best first book on DSP you could ever buy. If you just want to learn the basics, and don't have much time or patience you should probably look elsewhere.

As others have said, this is the DSP bible. I have worked in the field of DSP as a post-grad student, lecturer ("professor") and an R&D engineer for over 15 years now and this book is in my "must-have" collection. It is the book I learnt my DSP from; it is the book I have taught DSP from; it is a very good reference book for the practitioner.

Having said that, I should also point out what I believe this book is not (and why it gets only 4 stars) : it is not a good book for self-learning. If this is what you are after, I recommend Rick Lyons' book "Understanding Digital Signal Processing" (five stars from me).

If you are a mechanical engineer learning DSP, I suggest asking your local Bruel & Kjaer representative if he'll give you a copy of Bob Randall's "Frequency Analysis" published by B&K (ISBN 87 87355 07 8; "only" 3.5 stars, but 4.5 stars if you're a mechanical engineer).

I used the author's book "Digital Signal Processing" in my college study, and I also read and cite the 1st Edition of
"Discrete-Time Signal Processing" during my work experience. That's a very good reference. But I don't have the
2nd Edititon.

However, after going through the Table Of Contents of the 2nd Edition of "Discrete-Time Signal Processing", I
think Oppenheim&Schafer did a resaonable tradeoff to reflect state of the art in DSP domain.

They add: Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) which is mostly used in image compression, Multirate Signal
Processing which is used widely in modern DSP, and Oversampling and Noise Shaping Sampling for A/D and D/A
conversion.

In consequence, they remove: Lattice Structure, IIR Filters Design, Cepstrum Analysis (often used in speech
signal processing) and Homomorphic Signal Processing, which are a bit sophisticated. And I guess the reason to
remove IIR Filter Dsign is there exists many computer-aided tools on digital filter design, and made this very easy.

I've used D.T.S.P. for a course and found it very satisfying. I've also read the Schaum's Outline by Monson Hayes and "Understanding Digital Signal Processing" by Richard Lyons, but I wouldn't recommend them to anyone really interested in the subject.

This book can appear more intimidating at a first glance, but chances are that is just the fear of a mind not accustomed to precise, throughout exposition. Actually, such preciseness is the only way to really understand a subject and it is much harder to learn something without it (although, it's easier to delude oneself into thinking that one is learning).

While studying on the Hayes' book I often found myself trying to reconstruct the steps taken to build and use a mathematical representation of a problem, and realizing that there were some informations I was missing; that the exposition made sense only as long as I didn't put it under a magnifying glass to see the holes. As my interest for DSP and my hunger for thoroughness grew I had to turn more and more to the Oppenheim-Schafer in order to find the missing steps, until I decided that it would have been easier to use it as my primary book.

As for the requirements, there isn't really much: some basic calculus and, for some chapters, a knowledge of analog systems - something that you have probably already studied if you are doing this for university, and something that you should study if you are a diy enthusiast.

If this isn't your biggest interest and you only need to pass an exam, the Schaum's outline should be enough. If you want to build a solid foundation in DSP design, acquire new mathematical models and the skill to use them (in my opinion this is a central part in increasing one's intelligence) use this book.