1. An apparatus comprising a circuit that includes: first and second data interfaces for parallel transfer of data having respective first and second word widths that are each multi-bit and different; a data transfer portion that manipulates data arriving at the first data interface with the first word width into data with the second word width, the data transfer portion transferring the manipulated data to the second data interface; and configurable structure that specifies one of the first or second word widths is a selected one of a plurality of different word widths, including a field-programmable device that includes the circuit, wherein during field programming of the device the configurable structure is configured to specify the selected one of the plurality of different word widths.
1. An apparatus comprising a circuit that includes: first and second data interfaces for parallel transfer of data having respective first and second word widths that are each multi-bit and different; a data transfer portion that manipulates data arriving at the first data interface with the first word width into data with the second word width, the data transfer portion transferring the manipulated data to the second data interface; and configurable structure that specifies one of the first or second word widths is a selected one of a plurality of different word widths, including a field-programmable device that includes the circuit, wherein during field programming of the device the configurable structure is configured to specify the selected one of the plurality of different word widths. 17. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the data transfer portion includes a storage portion having a plurality of independently controlled storage elements; wherein the data transfer portion is configured to divide a first word with the first word width from the first data interface into a plurality of second data words that each have the second word width by grouping the second data words with each group including a respective positive integer number of the second data words, and storing each group of the second data words in a respective one of the storage elements; wherein the data transfer portion maintains a first value that is representative of the number of the second data words in each group, and maintains a second value that is representative of the number of groups; and wherein the data transfer portion is configured to supply the second data words in succession from the storage portion to the second interface as a function of the first and second values by successively enabling in a mutually exclusive manner each of the storage elements having a group of the second data words therein, each of these storage elements, when enabled, transferring the second data words therein to the second interface.