Sep 8 2010
OmniVision Technologies (OVTI), an innovator in advanced digital imaging devices, unleashes a SOC (system-on-a-chip) CMOS image sensor called the OV9740, measuring 1/6.5inches.
This sensor is to be employed in extremely challenging video solutions in PMP (portable media players), notebooks and home entertainment equipments. The OV9740 allows its users to abridge product development, and speed up the time taken to polish the product for the market, all because its image quality fine-tuning and processing is done on-chip. Thus it is an economic and comprehensive product for potential applications in the PMP and home entertainment systems.
CMOS image sensor OV9740
The OV9740 is a blend of two OmniVision products, the ISP and the OmniBSI backside illumination pixel architecture. Using them, it is able to supply 720p native HD video at a rate of 30 frames/sec. Thus it fulfills the decisive factors needed for Microsoft Office Communicators, and also the criterion for SkypeTM’s high quality videos. Its compact size and quality attributes are perfect for several applications, such as netbooks, notebooks, gaming consoles, webcams, smart phones, portable media players, set-top boxes and TVs.
OmniVision’s Director of product marketing, Nicholas Nam remarked that, the need of the day was compact image sensors that could deliver high performance levels. There is a rapid shift to HD video, due to social media websites such as Facebook and YouTube and also the rise of complex entertainment systems. He further emphasized that this sensor delivers high performance along with low-light sensitivity features all on a single chip.
The OmniBSI technology directs the sensor to offer superior low-light sensitivity at a rate of 1300 mV/lux-sec, in very slender camera modules measuring less than 3.2 mm. All degradation effects owing to cropping or scaling are missing in this sensor. The OmniVision ISP offers a host of features including automatic white balance, color noise reduction, automatic exposure control, auto black level calibration, automatic gain control, defect pixel, gamma and lens corrections, and all the while producing sharp images with high clarity. These additional functions can be used through a standard serial camera control bus interface, where a double line high speed MIPI interface wires YUV422 and RAW RGB output formats. This sensor will be available in the markets by 2010 September.