This paper presents the design, implementation, and comparative evaluation of a finite impulse response (FIR) digital filter on two distinct hardware platforms: a digital signal processor (DSP) board, specifically the Texas Instruments DSK6713, and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). FIR filters represent a fundamental building block in digital signal processing, with widespread applications in communications, audio and speech enhancement, biomedical instrumentation, and real-time control. The hardware realization of such filters remains an important area of study, since performance strongly depends on factors such as processing speed, computational efficiency, and hardware resource utilization. For the FPGA-based implementation, two alternative architectures are explored: a parallel structure, designed to maximize throughput, and a serial structure, intended to minimize hardware consumption while maintaining satisfactory accuracy and speed. These approaches allow a systematic examination of the trade-offs between performance and complexity, which is essential for embedded and resource-constrained applications. In contrast, the DSP-based implementation provides a conventional reference, reflecting the continued relevance of programmable DSPs in real-time signal processing due to their optimized instruction sets and design flexibility. The three implementations are assessed in terms of execution speed, efficiency, and hardware requirements. The results demonstrate that while the DSP achieves adequate filter performance, the FPGA-based implementations significantly improve speed and scalability. Furthermore, the serial FPGA architecture highlights remarkable optimization in resource usage, underscoring its suitability for compact, cost-sensitive, and performance-driven embedded systems.