SUNNYVALE, CA — March 17, 2003 — OMNIVISION Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: OVTI), a market-leading independent supplier of CameraChip™ solutions for high-volume imaging applications, today announced it will demonstrate a quarter inch lens format 1.3 mega-pixel camera solution at the CTIA Wireless 2003 Show in New Orleans March 17-19th. The demonstration will include the new VarioPixel® technology showcased earlier this month at the Photo Marketing Association trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“This demonstration has the potential to set a new standard for the photographic capabilities of cameras embedded in mobile handsets,” stated John Lynch, Vice President Sales and Marketing at OMNIVISION. “Cell phone manufacturers face the dilemma of constantly trying to make phones smaller while simultaneously increasing their features. With cameras, higher resolution usually means bigger lenses, making the job for cell phone designers very difficult if they want to build better cameras into their handsets. With this demonstration, we show that cellular handsets can have both small size and high resolution, giving everyone what they want.”
Currently, most VGA resolution cameras embedded in phones use a quarter inch format lens. The lens format of a camera is directly proportional to the height of a complete camera solution. A 1.3 mega pixel CameraChip™ with the same lens format as a VGA (640 x 480) resolution camera can produce a camera module for mobile handsets with higher resolution but without changing the overall design of the camera phone. 1.3 million pixels are generally considered the resolution required to create 5″ x 7″ keepsake quality prints.
“This demonstration will include our new VarioPixel® technology,” continued Lynch. “VarioPixel® enhances the low light performance of the chip at lower resolutions and increases the video frame rate at relatively higher resolutions. When utilized in a 1.3 mega pixel CameraChip™ with a quarter inch lens format, the result is a camera solution for mobile handsets that is at a par with current digital still cameras in terms of resolution and quality. This type of breakthrough has the potential to move camera phones out of the realm of being a ‘novelty’ and into the realm of serious photography.”
OMNIVISION will be demonstrating the quarter inch mega pixel technology for mobile handsets in their booth #3160 at the CTIA Wireless 2003 Show, in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, La. March 17-19.
For More Information
For more information on OMNIVISION’s CameraChips™, please contact OMNIVISION by phone at 408-733-3030, via e-mail at sales@ovt.com or visit our website at www.ovt.com.
About OMNIVISION
OMNIVISION Technologies, Inc. is an independent CameraChip™ solutions provider. Utilizing proprietary design technology for its highly integrated still-photo and video camera solutions for high-volume imaging applications, OMNIVISION integrates multiple image processing and capture functions into a single CameraChip™ design. With the addition of only a lens, the result is a low-cost CameraChip™ that consumes less power, has a greater environmental functioning range and has a smaller footprint than typical CMOS multi-chip image sensor solutions. OMNIVISION’s CameraChip™ solutions are in cell phones, personal digital assistants, automobiles and industrial machine vision applications, as well as surveillance and biometric security applications. OMNIVISION is based in Sunnyvale, California. For more information about the company, visit our Website at www.ovt.com.
OMNIVISION and CameraChip™ are trademarks of OMNIVISION Technologies, Inc.
Safe Harbor Language
Certain statements in this press release, including statements regarding the characteristics, anticipated benefits and functionality of OMNIVISION’s 1.3 megapixel CameraChip™ solution and VarioPixel® technology are forward looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties, which could cause the forward looking statements and OMNIVISION’s results to differ materially, include, without limitation: potential errors, design flaws or other problems with the 1.3 megapixel CameraChip™ solution; customer acceptance and demand for the 1.3 megapixel OV9620 Camera Chip and for the Company’s VarioPixel® technology; the growth of markets for the 1.3 megapixel CameraChip™ solution and VarioPixel® technology and the other risks detailed from time to time in OMNIVISION’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, OMNIVISION’s quarterly reports filed on form 10‑Q. OMNIVISION disclaims any obligation to update information contained in any forward looking statement.