OmniVision debuts two new 2-megapixel SoC sensors to support feature phone market

SANTA CLARA, USA: OmniVision Technologies Inc., a leading developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, has introduced two new system-on-a-chip (SoC) CMOS image sensors, the OV2643 and OV2659.

Both sensors are designed to address the increased demand for 2-megapixel resolution cameras in the mid- to low-end feature phone segment, bringing high-definition (HD) video and excellent low-light sensitivity to this high-volume market.

With the addition of the OV2643 and OV2659, OmniVision now offers the industry’s broadest portfolio of 2‑megapixel camera solutions, serving a wide variety of applications including notebooks, webcams and gaming and entertainment devices.

The two new SOC sensors with advanced image signal processing offer quality and functionality comparable to many high-performance digital still cameras, including 720p native HD video at 30 frames per second, excellent sensitivity and high quality image capture. Additionally, they are designed to meet the cost, size and performance requirements of the highly segmented camera phone market.

“We are seeing a clear trend of the mid- to low-end feature phone market migrating to 2-megapixel resolution, with significantly increasing demand from emerging markets such as China and India,” said Per Rosdahl, director of product marketing at OmniVision.

“OmniVision has invested in a very broad 2-megapixel portfolio to address the full range of size and performance requirements this market segment demands. The OV2643 and OV2659 are the first SOC sensors from OmniVision to offer HD capability at this resolution, providing a critical differentiator over other sensors currently on the market.”

Designed for cost-sensitive applications, the OV2659 is built on OmniVision’s 1.75-micron OmniPixel3-HS™ architecture, which achieves low-light sensitivity of 950 mV/lux-sec. The OV2659’s 1/5-inch optical format and ultra-low profile (4 mm) fits the industry-standard 6.5 x 6.5 mm camera module size for handset applications.

The OV2643 targets more performance-centric applications, implementing OmniVision’s advanced 2.2-micron OmniPixel3-HS architecture, which achieves a sensitivity of 1250 mV/lux-sec. This makes it ideal for ensuring excellent video image quality under the most challenging lighting conditions. The OV2643’s 1/4-inch optical format also fits the critical 6.5 x 6.5 mm camera module size.

Both sensors offer automatic image control functions, which include automatic exposure control, automatic white balance and automatic black-level calibration. They also feature all standard image quality controls such as color saturation, hue, gamma, sharpness (edge enhancement), lens correction, defective pixel canceling and noise canceling. The OV2643 also features black sun cancelation.

The OV2643 and OV2659 come with interfaces for standard serial camera control bus and digital video port (DVP) parallel output, offering support for UXGA, SVGA and 720p with programmable controls for frame rate as well as video operations.

The OV2643 and OV2659 are sampling now and are expected to enter mass production in Q4 2010.