Samsung announces HD webcam sensors

Posted on 9 Apr 2010 at 11:26

Samsung has announced new CMOS sensors for laptop webcams which promise real-time 1080p video recording.

As revealed over on SlashGear, the new sensors - the S5K6A1 and the S5K5B3 - are designed to be fitted to in-built webcams in laptops, netbooks, and all-in-one PCs in order to provide HD video streams at 30 frames per second.

While the cheaper S5K6A1 can only stretch to a 720p stream - a limitation of its 1.3 megapixel native resolution - the premium S5K5B3 is able to record a full HD 1080p stream at 30 FPS thanks to a higher 2.1 megapixel resolution. Both models also support the more common VGA - 640x480 - resolution used by most video chat software such as Skype, which is likely to be far friendlier to your bandwidth than the HD streams.

Interestingly, the premium S5K5B3 sensor has another trick up its sleeve missing from its lower-resolution brother: a solid-state depth-of-field adjusting auto focus system, which allows for a macro mode designed to capture images of business cards held close to the lens.

As well as the resolution boost, Samsung's new sensors are both smaller - with the high-resolution version standing 4.5mm tall and the 720p edition a hair smaller at 3.5mm - and, the company claims, provide better performance in low-light conditions, something many camera manufacturers are concentrating on improving with their latest releases.

Although Samsung hasn't announced any consumer products, it has stated that the sensors themselves will enter mass production towards the end of the year.

Author: Gareth Halfacree

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