Immediate processing of data is very important when a device within a computing system runs a real time application. Such real time applications may involve the processing of video or audio. The device may require adequate bandwidth from one or more sources in order to effectively display images or reproduce audio. The device may require access to data stored in a memory of the computing system.
Such computing systems may utilize a memory controller to access data stored in memory. The memory controller may employ a device called a memory arbiter that handles requests from one or more devices requiring access to data stored in memory. These devices may communicate to the memory using one or more data buses resident in the computing system.
Often, a device running a real time application may not be able to receive data from main memory at a required rate. One or more other devices performing non-real time applications may consume bandwidth required by the device running the real time application. For example, a digital camcorder may require transmission of data from main memory at a sufficient rate in order to properly display video on a monitor. When other devices compete for memory resources, access to memory may not be provided to the most critical applications such as those which involve real time processing of data.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.