We demonstrate the applicability of the constructive stability algorithm of Brayton and Tong in the stability analysis of fixed-point digital filters. In the present paper, we consider direct form and coupled form filters while in a companion paper we treat wave digital filters and lattice filters. We compare our results with existing ones which deal with either the global asymptotic stability of digital filters or with existence (resp., nonexistence) of limit cycles in digital filters. Several of the present results are new while some of the present results constitute improvements over existing results. In a few cases, the present results are more conservative than existing results. It is emphasized that whereas the existing results are obtained by several diverse methods, the present results are determined by one unified approach.