BARCELONA — Feb. 16, 2009 — At the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) event today, OMNIVISION Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: OVTI), a leading developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, unveiled its latest low-voltage, high-performance 1/4‑inch 3‑megapixel color sensor. Featuring OMNIVISION’s high-sensitivity 1.75 micron OmniPixel®3‑HS architecture, the OV3650 delivers double the sensitivity (960 mV/lux‑sec) of competing devices. The OmniPixel®3‑HS architecture is the most advanced generation of OMNIVISION’s family of front side illumination (FSI) architectures, providing significantly enhanced image capture under very low lighting conditions. The OV3650 provides an ideal compact solution for mobile phones, notebook, webcam and other applications that require exceptional low-light performance without the need for flash.
According to third-party industry analyst Techno Systems Research, 1/4” form factor camera solutions represent the “sweet spot” for mobile phone applications and are projected to represent up to 55 percent of the total volume from 2009 to 2012*. The RAW OV3650 sensor expands OMNIVISION’s 3‑megapixel offerings to a total of four devices, providing a complete portfolio to address anticipated demand.
The OV3650 provides the full functionality of a single chip QXGA (2048 x 1536) camera with full-frame, subsampled and windowed 10‑bit images in various formats. The OV3650 provides an image array capable of operating at up to 15 frames per second in QXGA resolution and all required image processing functions, including exposure control, white balance, and defective pixel canceling, are programmable through the SCCB interface. The OV3650 eliminates image contamination issues such as fixed pattern noise, smearing, and blooming produces a clean, fully stable, vivid color image.
For customized information purposes, the OV3650 includes a one-time programmable memory. The OV3650 has a one lane MIPI interface and a traditional parallel digital video port. The sensor’s parallel port can also be used to communicate to an external secondary camera (digital video port) while providing continued output through the MIPI interface.
Availability
The OV3650 is immediately available for customer sampling. Volume production is expected in the second calendar quarter of 2009.
*Source: TSR, 2008 CCD/CMOS Area Image Sensor Market Analysis
Safe-Harbor Language
Certain statements in this press release, including statements regarding the expected benefits, performance and capabilities of, and the expected timeframe for volume production of the OV3650 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 OV3650, customer acceptance, demand, and other risks detailed from time to time in OMNIVISION’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, OMNIVISION’s annual report filed on Form 10-K and quarterly reports filed on Form 10-Q. OMNIVISION expressly disclaims any obligation to update information contained in any forward-looking statement.