HD Image Sensor brings 720p video to portable devices.

Press Release Summary:



Model OV9726 OmniBSI Sensor is 1/6 in. CMOS sensor that delivers 720p HD video at 30 fps. It utilizes 1.75 micron OmniBSI backside illumination pixel architecture to provide light sensitivity of 1,480 mV/lux-sec. Design enables light to be received on chips' backside, which minimizes distance of light travel to pixels, enabling wide angle of acceptance that supports low height profile of camera module. Unit supports multiple platforms and controllers with parallel/MIPI interfaces.



Original Press Release:



OmniVision Rolls Out First OmniBSI Sensor for 720p HD Video in Portable Devices



SANTA CLARA, Calif. - OmniVision Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:OVTI), a leading developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, today unveiled its first native high-definition (HD) video sensor built on OmniBSI(TM) pixel technology. The compact 1/6-inch OV9726 delivers 720p HD video at 30 frames per second (fps), making it ideal for high-performance HD cameras in notebooks, netbooks, webcams, mobile phones, portable media players (PMPs) and other mobile entertainment devices. OmniVision has already secured design wins from top tier customers for the OV9726.

"TV and Internet broadcast have already begun to transition to HD. Webcams, cell phones and other portable recording devices are now quickly following suit," said Nick Nam, senior product marketing manager at OmniVision. "With our OV9726 native 720p HD sensor that operates at 30 frames per second, we open up a new category of image sensors that address the need for small, high-performance HD video recording without any tradeoffs in performance."

Implementing OmniVision's 1.75-micron OmniBSI back side illumination pixel architecture, the OV9726 achieves excellent low-light sensitivity of 1,480 mV/lux-sec in the smallest available form factor (1/6.5-inch). With OmniBSI architecture, the image sensor receives light through the back side of the chip. As a result, there is no metal wiring to block the image light, and the entire back side of the image sensor can be photo-sensitive. Not only does this enable a superior image, it also permits the front of the chip surface area to be devoted entirely to processing, and permits an increase in the number of metal layers, both of which result in greater functionality. Capturing light on the back side of the image sensor also reduces the distance the light has to travel to the pixels, and thus provides a wider angle of light acceptance. Widening the angle of acceptance in turn makes it possible to reduce the height of the camera module, and thus the height of the device which incorporates the camera. This design achieves a very low stack height (3.5 mm) in the OV9726 enabling ultra-compact camera modules for mobile devices.

OmniVision's native HD sensors do not suffer from degradation or image artifacts due to scaling or cropping, which is typically used to achieve HD resolution from larger array sensors. The OV9726 CMOS image sensor supports multiple platform architectures and controllers with both parallel and MIPI interfaces. These support features significantly reduce product development time by allowing system designers to leverage the same opto-electrical design across various products and multiple market segments.

The OV9726 is currently available for sampling, and is expected to enter mass production in the first quarter of 2010.

About OmniVision

OmniVision Technologies (NASDAQ:OVTI) is a leading developer of advanced digital imaging solutions. Its award-winning CMOS imaging technology enables superior image quality in many of today's consumer and commercial applications, including mobile phones, notebooks, netbooks and webcams, digital still and video cameras, security and surveillance, entertainment devices, automotive and medical imaging systems. Find out more at www.ovt.com.

OmniVision® is a registered trademark of OmniVision Technologies, Inc. The OmniVision logo and OmniBSI are trademarks of OmniVision Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Source: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.

CONTACT: Scott Foster, +1-408-567-3077, sfoster@ovt.com, of OmniVision Technologies

Web Site: www.ovt.com/

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