New Products Designed for PC Camera Applications
SUNNYVALE, CA — May 7, 2001 — OMNIVISION Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: OVTI), a leader in designing, developing and marketing advanced, highly integrated CMOS image sensors used in electronic cameras and other optical imaging devices, today announced availability of its software drivers for OEMs developing cameras for the iMac market. OMNIVISION’s new drivers are available for a wide variety of OMNIVISION’s USB companion chips and image sensors.
“OMNIVISION is pleased to now offer complete solutions for OEMs developing cameras for both the iMac as well as the IBM-compatible PC market,” said Bob Stroh, Vice President, Strategic Marketing & Business Development. “These drivers become increasingly important as the demand for applications that merge information with imaging increases.”
OMNIVISION Technologies manufactures CMOS image sensors used in electronic cameras for both live video and digital still images. Many of these cameras can be connected to a computer through a USB bus. The USB bus is used to send control instructions to the camera and to download image data from the camera to the computer memory. When a camera is connected through the USB bus, there must be a software driver to control the camera and to handle incoming data. Because of the limited bandwidth of the USB bus, the image data generally is compressed before being sent. The software driver in the computer must know the specific compression algorithm in order to perform decompression. OMNIVISION now offers OEMs developing cameras for the iMac market a complete solution that includes its USB camera driver software, highly integrated image sensors and companion USB controller chips with compression technology. OMNIVISION additionally offers this complete solution for the IBM-compatible PC camera market.
OMNIVISION’s iMac camera drivers work with Macintosh Operating System (Mac OS) 9.0 or higher. The drivers come in a variety of configurations, including:
CIF Resolution
- Drivers for OMNIVISION’s OV518 USB companion chip and OV6630 image sensor
CIF And VGA Resolution
- Drivers for the OV511 USB companion chip and OV6620/6630/7610 image sensors
- Drivers for the OV511+ USB companion chip and OV6620/6630/7620 image sensors
- Drivers for the OV651/OV681 Dual Mode USB companion chip and OV6630/OV7620 image sensor
VGA Resolution
- Drivers for the OV518+ USB companion chip and OV7620
OMNIVISION USB Companion Chips
The USB companion chips work with OMNIVISION’s color and black & white CMOS image sensors. When combined, the products create a low-cost, highly integrated USB camera system. With its built-in data compression and USB transceiver, the USB companion chips enable a PC camera to plug directly into a USB port. OMNIVISION also offers USB companion chips that include an audio interface. When used with OMNIVISION’s color CMOS sensor, the Dual Mode USB companion chip set is used for low-cost digital still, as well as PC, camera applications.
OMNIVISION Image Sensors
OMNIVISION provides an entire family of highly integrated single-chip image sensors for both live video and still images. Resolutions offered include: CIF (320×240), VGA (640×480), SVGA (800×600) and 1.3 mega pixel (1280×1024).
Pricing And Availability
The iMac drivers are currently available at no additional cost to OEMs who are using OMNIVISION’s image sensors and OMNIVISION’s USB companion chips.
About OMNIVISION
OMNIVISION Technologies, Inc. designs, develops and markets high-performance, high-quality and cost-efficient camera chips. The company’s highly integrated image sensors are used in a variety of electronic cameras and optical imaging products for both still picture and live video applications. OMNIVISION provides all the functionality of a complete camera, and only a lens need be added. OMNIVISION is able to integrate many image system functions into a single chip instead of multiple chips required to achieve the same functions by competitive image sensors. The highly integrated design enables customers to design cameras that are lower in cost, smaller, lighter in weight, consume less power, are more reliable and more easily integrated with other circuits than cameras using multiple-chip image sensors. OMNIVISION is based in Sunnyvale, California. For more information about the company, visit www.ovt.com.
OMNIVISION is a trademark of OMNIVISION Technologies, Inc. All other trade, product or service names referenced in this release may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Certain statements in this press release, including statements regarding the increased future demand for applications that merge information with imaging are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties, which could cause the forward-looking statements and the company’s results to differ materially, include, without limitation: the timely and continued widespread market acceptance of products and applications that merge information with imaging; the emergence of markets for new products and applications that merge information with imaging; worldwide economic and political conditions and the other risks detailed from time to time in the company’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, the company’s quarterly reports filed on January 31, 2001. The company disclaims any obligation to update information contained in any forward-looking statement.