AltaSens and Apical Announce Development of the Industry's First 1/3-inch 1080p60 HD Wide Dynamic Range CMOS Sensor at 2010 ISC West Security Show

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- AltaSens, Inc., a premier supplier of HD CMOS image sensors, and Apical Limited, a leading provider of advanced hardware IP cores and software libraries for wide dynamic range (WDR) imaging, announce the development of the industry's first 1/3-inch 1080p60 HD WDR sensor technology with uncompromised low-light performance.

AltaSens' A3372E3-4T WDR sensor uses patent-pending dual exposures in a single frame to create more than 100dB of wide dynamic range for 1080p HD imaging. Each exposure is independently adjustable to light levels in any scene, capturing the widest dynamic range. Single-frame dual exposures eliminate the need for a dedicated frame buffer in the camera and provide the smoothest motion video, devoid of motion artifacts. As a result, exposure latitude is boosted by several f-stops while the sensor provides an industry-leading frame rate of up to 60 fps. Under the low-light conditions commonly found in security applications, uncompromised full 1080p HD is achieved by maximizing each pixel exposure against the sensor's wide dynamic range.

Apical provides custom-developed front-end IP blocks that enrich sensor dynamic range, reduce in-frame noise, and enhance resolution. Advanced technologies-currently adopted in a variety of WDR applications from sensors to displays-are also used to implement next-generation pixel-level compression and to render the WDR video stream. The resulting architecture offers significant advantages for its superior HD image quality, low-light performance, and flexible WDR auto exposure, compared to existing lower-resolution solutions.

"Apical's technological innovation and proven expertise in the field of WDR imaging complements AltaSens' advanced sensor capabilities," says Giuseppe Rossi, Vice President of Technical Marketing at AltaSens. "Today's announced product is the first step towards a new class of WDR HD sensors that offer both excellent low-light sensitivity and wide dynamic range. AltaSens' security customers will greatly benefit from the A3372E3-4T WDR's outstanding performance covering an even larger range of lighting conditions."

"AltaSens' WDR sensor technology is at the forefront of innovation," states Michael Tusch, Managing Director at Apical. "Apical's IP blocks are key enablers of AltaSens' image-quality achievements and will be deployed together with AltaSens sensors to simultaneously support both WDR and low-light imaging applications. We believe that security camera manufacturers will greatly appreciate the fast time-to-market, ease-of-use, and hardware efficient approach of today's announced solution."

AltaSens will be demonstrating live WDR 1080p60 HD video streams at booth 40022 and at HDcctv Alliance Booth 42001 during the 2010 ISC West Security Show held in Las Vegas, NV on March 24-26.

About AltaSens

AltaSens, Inc. is the premier supplier of high-performance CMOS image sensors for the emerging world of high definition video. With headquarters in Westlake Village, California, AltaSens designs and produces the AltaChrome™ and ProCamHD™ image sensors used worldwide in a diverse range of imaging products in such markets as surveillance, broadcast/professional, camcorder, videoconferencing, telepresence, medical, and machine vision. AltaSens' high definition WDR video image sensors exceed industry expectations by delivering a technology that enables lower noise, lower power consumption, higher sensitivity, higher frame rate, and higher dynamic range in a cost-effective solution. For more information about AltaChrome and ProCamHD image sensors or about AltaSens, visit www.AltaSens.com.

About Apical

Apical is the industry leader in advanced dynamic range management and noise reduction technology for embedded applications. The company's products are derived from research into the human visual system and are designed to maximize the performance of a wide range of image capture and display devices. The product range comprises hardware IP cores and embedded software libraries. Apical is a privately-held company based in the UK. For more information, visit www.apical.co.uk.

AltaSens, AltaChrome, and ProCamHD are trademarks of AltaSens, Inc.

Apical is a trademark of Apical Limited.

SOURCE AltaSens, Inc.