OmniVision intros VGA camera for notebooks

SANTA CLARA, USA: OmniVision Technologies, Inc., a leading developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, today introduced the OV7727, a top-of-the-line VGA sensor for the high-end ultra-thin notebook market.

The 1/13-inch OV7727 is the first VGA sensor built with OmniBSI backside illumination technology and it combines extremely strong performance and sensitivity with an ultra-compact form factor, enabling camera integration with sub-2 mm liquid crystal displays (LCDs) for next generation notebooks, net books and tablet computers, said a press release.

Using a 1.75-micron OmniBSI pixel, the OV7727 delivers video conference-quality low-light performance of 1300 mV/lux-sec, while also enabling complete camera modules with Z-height as low as 2.2 mm, ideal for tomorrow’s ultra-thin portable devices.

“VGA sensors are generally considered low-end and low-cost, but the OV7727 is quite the opposite in terms of performance. It is a very high-end VGA product, and currently the only sensor on the market that can meet the size, cost and performance requirements of the next generation high-end notebook market,” said Nicholas Nam, senior product marketing manager at OmniVision.

The OV7727 offers complete user control over image quality, resolution and output data format. It provides full frame, sub-sampled, windowed or scaled 8-bit/10-bit images in RAW RGB format over a parallel DVP interface or serial MIPI port, offering a versatile platform for use in single and multi-camera applications.

A new feature on the OV7727 is a serial peripheral interface, which supports multiple cameras using a single controller, while also offering support to touch screen applications.

The OV7727 is now available for sampling and is expected to enter mass production in September 2010, the release added.