Businessweek

OmniVision Technologies, Inc. engages in the design, development, and marketing of semiconductor image-sensor devices. Products The company’s primary products, image-sensing devices referred to as CameraChip image sensors, capture an image electronically and are used in various consumer and commercial mass-market applications. Its CameraChip image sensors are manufactured using the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication process and are primarily single-chip solutions that integrate distinct functions, including image capture, image processing, color processing, signal conversion, and output of a processed image or video stream. The company has also integrated its CameraChip image sensors with wafer-level optics, referred to as CameraCubeChip imaging devices, which are image sensors with integrated wafer-level optics. Its CameraCubeChip imaging device is a small footprint, total camera solution. The company also supplies companion chips used to connect its image sensors to various interfaces, including the universal serial bus (USB), a connection which allows add-on devices to be connected to notebook and Webcams and other industry standard interfaces, such as the mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) and low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS). In addition, the company provides companion digital signal processors (DSP) that perform compression in standardized still photo and digital video formats. The company also designs and develops standard software drivers for Linux, Mac OSX, and Microsoft Windows, as well as for embedded operating systems, such as Android, Blackberry OS, Symbian, Windows CE, Windows Embedded, and Windows Mobile. These software drivers accept the image data being received from the USB, provide data decompression, if required, and manage interface protocols with the camera. The company has designed these drivers for speed and flexibility and to allow easy customization of the user interface. New Products In May 2011, the company introduced the OV5690, the 5-megapixel CMOS image sensor to use its advanced OmniBSI-2 pixel architecture. The OV5690's advanced features include 1080p high definition (HD), video recording at 30 frames per second (FPS), an integrated scaler, and 2 × 2 binning functionality with re-sampling filter. The scaler enables electronic image stabilization, while maintaining full field of view in 720p and 1080p HD video modes, and allows for HD video with digital video zoom functionality. In August 2011, the company introduced the OV8850, its 8-megapixel CMOS image sensor based on its advanced 1.1-µm OmniBSI-2 pixel architecture. The 1/4-inch OV8850 has a small footprint and is designed for slim autofocus camera modules. The OV8850 supports 1080p HD video recording at 30 FPS. With a 2 × 2 binning functionality, the OV8850 also provides 720p HD video recording at 60 FPS with electronic image stabilization. In August 2011, the company also introduced OV9770, a 1/6-inch HD image sensor based on its advanced 1.75-µm OmniBSI-2 pixel architecture. As a native 720p HD sensor, the OV9770 is capable of capturing 30 FPS HD video without suffering from degradation or image artifacts due to scaling or cropping. The OV9770 is designed for notebooks, tablets, and portable media players. In August 2011, the company introduced a third product, the OV5680, its 5-megapixel CMOS image sensor based on its 1.75-µm OmniBSI-2 pixel architecture. The 1/3.2-inch OV5680 offers high frame rate 1080p/30 and 720p/60 HD video recording. It can also synchronize exposure and frame for stereo cameras to meet 3D video capture requirements. The OV5680 is designed to meet the needs of video-centric mobile phone cameras and dedicated digital video cameras. In January 2012, the company introduced the OV9713, its 1/4-inch HD image sensor based on its improved OmniPixel3-HS pixel architecture. The OV9713 offers widescreen HD video with a display resolution of 720p operating at 60 FPS or cropped VGA at 120 FPS. It is also 3D ready, offering frame synchronization functionality for stereo camera systems. In January 2012, the company also introduced the OV8825, its 1/3.2