OmniVision Announces 16MP Camera Sensor for Smartphones – Coming Soon The Nexus Nine S

Now that Apple has upped the ante, releasing a display with higher than full HD resolution, it wont take long for Android (and television) manufacturers to catch up. Only problem is with current smartphone/tablet sensors, we’ll be stuck watching our intimate home movies recorded at a lowly 1080p HD on those uber-high resolution displays. We’re going to need a bigger sensor.

Enter OmniVision’s new OV16820 and OV16825 camera chips. These sensors have the ability to shoot 4K (that’s higher than 1080p) video at up to 60 frames per second. That means you could zoom in on video and see women in a whole new light. Now, we’re presented with a new problem… we’re going to need more powerful processors. Here’s looking at you, Nvidia Tegra 5 octco-core CPU. OmniVision’s full press release can be found below.

OmniVision Launches 16-Megapixel CameraChip™ Sensors For DSC/DVC and High-End Smartphone Applications

OV16820 and OV16825 Provide 16-Megapixel Burst Photography, Support Emerging 4K2K Standard in High Resolution Recording
SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- OmniVision Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OVTI), a leading developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, today announced the OV16820 and OV16825, two 16-megapixel CameraChip sensors that support 16-megapixel burst photography and can capture 4K2K video, or Quad Full High Definition (QFHD), at 60 frames per second (FPS). Built on the high-performance 1.34-micron OmniBSI-2™ pixel architecture, the OV16820 and OV16825 were developed by OmniVision to support emerging standards in high-resolution video recording for the digital still and video camera (DSC/DVC) markets and the high-end smartphone market, respectively.

"It was an industry-wide assumption that smartphones would cut into DSC/DVC sales; but at higher resolutions, we’re seeing a very distinct divide between the two markets and both remain strong," said Devang Patel, senior product marketing manager at OmniVision. "Industry experts have observed that mainstream DSC products are shifting to 16-megapixel resolutions and are offering improved image quality and optics. The OV16820 supports such offerings, allowing DSC/DVC manufacturers to provide consumers a high-resolution, feature-rich point and shoot photography experience, while the OV16825 provides top-tier imaging and video recording capabilities for flagship smartphones."

The 1/2.3-inch OV16820 and OV16825 image sensors are capable of operating in full resolution (4608 x 3456) video at 30 FPS, 4K2K (3840 x 2160) video at 60 FPS, and 1080p HD video at 60 FPS with extra pixels for electronic image stabilization (EIS). Additionally, the sensors enable full resolution 16-megapixel burst photography, a critical feature for DSC applications. All required image processing functions, including defective pixel and noise canceling, RAW scaling, image size, frame rate, exposure, gain, cropping and orientation are programmable through the serial camera control bus (SCCB) interface.

The sensors are offered with industry-standard connectivity, including up to 8-lane MIPI and LVDS output interfaces for high data transfer rates. The OV16820 is available for sampling in a ceramic land grid array (CLGA) package while the OV16825 will be available in die form (RW/COB). Both are expected to enter volume production by the fourth quarter of 2012.

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