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Fraunhofer IIS Introduces Full HDTV XS-Size Camera, the MicroHDTV (30/3/2007)

AltaSens 3562 Powers Fraunhofer Camera

Measuring only 4 by 4 by 8 centimeters, the MicroHDTV camera designed by the German Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS is smaller than a bar of soap and can even be accommodated in a cramped racing-car or for applications that require the camera to be installed in difficult-to-reach places. With its format up to 1920 x 1080 pixels and a variable frame rate of up to 60 frames per second, the camera meets all the requirements expected of a professional HDTV production. All parameters -- such as color settings, white balance, image format and frame rate -- can be controlled using the integrated software. All it takes is to open a web browser, connect the camera to the notebook via a local network and set the desired parameters.

"We achieved this by taking two different approaches: The camera has a very low power consumption, which means that little heat is generated and the housing can be kept very small. By using highly integrated parts, we were able to fit all of the components such as the image sensor, the analog-to-digital converter, the color processor and several interfaces into the tiny space available inside the camera," explains Stephan Gick, head of Embedded Imaging group at Fraunhofer IIS. Several licensees will soon be putting the camera into series production.

The camera profits from the 2/3-inch CMOS Sensor supplied by AltaSens, Inc. The 3562 sensor is an imaging System-on-Chip (iSoC) featuring advanced low-power blocks including noise suppression via patented tapered reset, black clamping, programmable timing controller, 14-bit signal processing and 12-bit digitization. Bucking the bewildering trend to use fewer pixels to generate HDTV via interpolation, the 3562 delivers uncompromised 1080i/p resolution for all 18 ATSC HDTV profiles and backward compatibility with PAL and NTSC.

"As the acknowledged leader in migrating CMOS from highend scientific instruments into broadcast cameras and HD camcorders," explains Lester Kozlowski, CTO of AltaSens, "we are thrilled that Fraunhofer IIS has ingeniously leveraged our 3562 iSoC to produce a high-quality HD camera of unprecedented size. High-quality HD is now migrating from pro studios into ubiquity." The MicroHDTV camera will be on display at the NAB2007 trade fair (booth C8828H), which will take place in Las Vegas from April 16 to 19.

www.altasens.com
www.iis.fraunhofer.de

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